Operation: HAUNTED
by SynapticFirefly
Summary: Sealing a possessed Rainbow Monkey away five years ago, former KND operatives are forced to face the consequences of their actions when the doll awakens again and goes after the newest KND generation instead, specifically those that were the most important to those former operatives in an act of revenge. (No OC's, all canon characters)
1. Chapter 1

**FIVE YEARS AGO_**

Garnished in black and orange streamers with spooky candelabras, the smallest conference room on Moonbase had been lovingly decorated for the occasion. In an intimate circular table draped in girly lace and a plethora of sweets nearly suffocating the table, a few operatives sat dourly in their respective seats.

The girl who started this tradition had a Halloween-themed Rainbow Monkey sitting nicely upon her lap. She was the only one who smiled in attendance.

"Tha͞nk y̴o͘u ̴śo ̀much҉ for a̛t̷t̷e͘n͘d̕ing my ͘Ha̸ll̴o͏w҉een̸ ̷Tea Part̛y̨," she said slowly, ignoring the pained wince coming from her left. "It͟'͘s so ni͘ce ͝t́o ̵şp̶en̨d ̸th̕e͠ ̀en͠tir̸e ̷n҉i͟g̢ht of ͠H̴ąl̕l҉ow̧e͏e̴n sip̨p̀i̷ng ̛tea̷ and eatin͏g c͟on̸f̶ect͜ioner̕ies ̨w̨it͞h̢ ͝fri͠end͏s."

One of her playmates started to clench her fingers in anger, only to be steadied by the hand of her subdued teammate. With a quiet sigh, she relaxed.

The host of the party squeezed her doll, which seemed to be glowing from its eyes. "B̛e͢c̴a͢us̀e͝…̢ i͠f͏ ̵y͟ou͜ d̢on'̷t͠ ͠sta͞y wi҉th̕ m̀e, some̢t͡hi͜ng ͘ba͝d́ ̀wi͢ll͜ ha̵p͞pe̶n t҉o ͟th҉e peop̕ĺe you͡ c͢ar̸e abou͘t.͠ ́L̢iķe̡ y͞o̶ur s̷ibli̷ng o͡r͟ yo͞ur best́ f͜ri͟end̛."

Her precious friends all bowed their heads in defeat and fear, which she mistook for reverence. "B̵ut̀ ͘yo̧ư ҉dòn't̴ need ̨a s͡i͡bli͟n̢g̷ ̸or͏ a ̢bes̶t ͜fr̴i̶èn̸d. ̡We ̵ḩa̷ve̶ ea͟ćh ̡oth͠er͝ n̵ơw͜. Ri̵gh͟t͏?́"

"ENOUGH!"

The girl jumped in her seat when the sealed door was suddenly kicked down and out of the shadows, their savior arrived.

Her precious Rainbow Monkey's amber eyes glowed brighter at the intrusion.

* * *

**now loading:**

**kids next door mission**

**operation:**

**H.A.U.N.T.E.D.**

**helpless**

**agents**

**ultimately**

**now**

**teens**

**enkindles**

**doll**

* * *

**PRESENT DAY_**

Inside the _Kids Next Door Seriously Cool Museum of Artifacts and Stuff_, Numbuh 101 was showcasing the _Annual Halloween Artifacts_ exhibit for the entire month of October as per tradition.

"If you follow me please!" he urged his latest tour group excitedly. "Over here is Count Spankulot's Spank-Mobile, used only once as Sector L completely confiscated it during the _Great Spank Race of '05_! Of course, it's not in any workable condition. We learned our lesson the last time a bunch of cadets visited_ this_ particular exhibit!"

Wally groaned, trailing behind the rest of Sector V who were enjoying themselves more than he ever would on the tour. "Uggggh! Why do we have to go to this stoopid exhibit every year?! It's just the same ol' crud every time!"

"That's not true!" Hoagie said over his shoulder. "Last year's Halloween exhibit was awesome when they finally put in Sector P's confiscated Holly Crunchers skeletons!"

Numbuh 101 swooped in on them and added, "Ah yes! The Mayan Skeletons from the Second Era of the Kids Next Door! Each bone is infused with the hardest, juiciest, concentrated combination of sugar and fruity flavor we had ever seen in the last eight hundred years!"

Abby failed trying not to lick her lips. "Mmm-mm! Numbuh 5 can't wait to see _those_ artifacts next!"

"Yes, but this time we're here for a reason!" Nigel said proudly. "After Numbuh 4 and 5 secured the Bermuda Trapezoid chest of chocolate coins from Stickybeard, the Museum offered to place it in this year's exhibit! Future operatives years from now will look upon the name on that chest and say Sector V's name with awe!" He squeezed his hands together with excitement. "It'll be so cool!"

"Up next is a favorite of mine!" Matthew said proudly and pulled the string to light up the lone artifact on a pedestal. "Some legends say this Rainbow Monkey is_ haunted!_ We don't know for sure, but what we _do_ know is that this is the only particular Rainbow Monkey ever made ever! One-of-a-Kind, in near mint condition, _Sweetheart of Darkness Rainbow Monkey_!"

The crowd of kids ooh'd and ahh'd at the pure black Rainbow Monkey with bright orange stitches racing around it like patchwork.

Abby shivered a bit. "Ooh... Numbuh 5 can never get over those eyes!"

"Yeah," Hoagie noted nervously, seemingly sure those golden eyes were boring down on him. "Wonder who's the crackjob who decided to make such a creepy thing?"

"If anyone knows, it should be Numbuh 3," Nigel said and looked around. "Where _is_ Numbuh 3?"

Kuki was found hiding at the back of the group, averting her eyes and making sure she was as small as possible behind Abby. Unfortunately, Wally pointed her out and she jumped a bit in alarm.

"Typical," Wally snorted. "I thought you liked all stoopid Rainbow Monkeys, Numbuh 3?"

Nigel nodded, worry in his words. "You do this every year, but you never really tell us why. Does it scare you, Kuki?"

She cowered behind Abby for a long moment and then finally squeaked softly, "That Rainbow Monkey doesn't like me. I-I-I don't want to bother it if that's okay?"

"Ha!" Wally laughed. "Rainbow Monkeys don't have feelings-" Abby smacked him upside the head for his insensitivity. "-YOWW!"

"So, you can feel it too then?" A female voice asked hesitantly from behind.

They parted for the speaker who both Kuki and Wally instantly recognized from Fanny's disastrous sleepover party months ago. "Numbuh 23," Kuki muffled from the back of Abby's shirt, "you can sense Rainbow Monkeys too?"

Virginia turned to the artifact with its eyes trained solely on her. She seemed more suspicious than afraid of it though. "I think you just have a natural affinity for them, Numbuh 3." Already expecting confusion, she smiled. "Like Numbuh 5, who can sense when ice cream is in danger. Or Numbuh 1, who's always suspicious and is usually right. I'm like that too... only, I can sense_ everything_."

"Oh really?" Nigel snorted and folded his arms. "Think you have some kind of supernatural senses?"

"Yeah, it's not _that_ impressive," Wally waved off. "My telly gets ESPN all the time!"

Abby slapped a palm to her face and dragged it down.

The tour kept moving, most glad to be away from the peculiar Rainbow Monkey with unsettling eyes.

All except Sonya, whose fingers practically pressed against the glass. Harvey and Lee exchanged a look before approaching her.

"You okay, Numbuh 83?" Lee asked, idly spinning a trick with his yo-yo.

She said nothing. The two boys looked at each other again.

"Tch, I'm not surprised," Snorting, Harvey put his hands behind his head and followed the rear of the tour. "Girls and their Rainbow Monkeys, am I right?"

Lee traded one last concerned look at Sonya, who didn't even seem to have acknowledged them, shrugged and followed Harvey, completely missing the strange amber glow reflecting in Sonya's eyes.

"You want to play?" she asked the doll hesitantly, compelled by its silent song.

A few minutes later, red light drenched the Museum and the alarm sounded. Sector V immediately got to position, back-to-back, and pulled out their weapons for an intrusion that never happened.

"KIDS NEXT DOOR, BATTLESTATIONS!" Nigel shouted, igniting a mini riot of operatives to run around and secure the Museum. That was when Sector V heard a scream of utter terror and ran toward the distressed curator.

Matthew was kneeling by the broken glass of the Rainbow Monkey exhibit, the plush nowhere to be found. "WE'VE BEEN _ROBBED_! OH, THE KID-MANITY!"

**transmission interrupted**


	2. Chapter 2

**connection re-established**

Sector V led the investigation. Matthew gleefully allowing them access to the Museum's systems, they went over the video feeds and rewound it to the moment the robbery happened.

Much to their surprise, the feed was missing three minutes of time. Nigel watched with a serious expression as Hoagie kept rewinding the feed and tweaking the machinery hoping for some sort of clue to the jump.

"This is unpossible!" Hoagie slammed a fist on the control panel. "It's like the three minutes didn't exist!"

"Keep trying, Numbuh 2," Nigel urged. "In the meantime I want every operative spread out for the search! We know the robbery happened less than a minute before the Museum went into lockdown, which means the thief is inside." He fixed his sunglasses and pointed to Abby. "Numbuh 5, I want everyone lined up for inspection. Numbuh 3's going to check them all for the stolen Rainbow Monkey.

Abby saluted. "On it, chief!" Grabbing Kuki, who was weakly protesting against seeing the 'haunted' Rainbow Monkey, they started the kid-hunt for the missing doll.

"What about me?!" asked Wally, who punched his palm psyching himself out.

Nigel pointed at him. "You'll help beef up security, Numbuh 4. If the thief tries to leave, it's up to you to take them down."

"Heh, heh! Count on me!" he chortled darkly and sprinted off to annoy the KND security.

Abby started dressing up the line of operatives and cadets, a good number of them with their own Rainbow Monkeys. "Nope, nope, none of them don't look like the right Rainbow Monkey. What do you think, Numbuh 3?"

"I... don't feel that particular Rainbow Monkey here," Kuki said happily, snuggling each one they examined so far. It settled her already frazzled nerves. "This one's as sweet as candy! Oooh, you've raised this one well, Stacy!"

Shrugging, Abby pulled out her communicator to call Nigel, only to hear Kuki cry out in terror and slam right into her. "What's wrong, Numbuh 3?!"

Kuki raised a shaking finger into the enclosed entrance to the _Library of Uhmazin' Picture Books_. "I thought I saw it staring at me, Numbuh 5! I can feel it!"

"Alrighty, let's check over there." Unsurprisingly, no one wanted to go with her. She placed her hands on her hips. "No one? _No one?_ Fine, y'all are a big bunch of babies! Numbuh 3, let's go!"

"No! Can we just stay here?" Kuki begged, grabbing Abby's arm. "It's scary! It's not friendly, Numbuh 5! It's not!"

Abby smiled pitifully at Kuki and dislodged herself. "Alright, Numbuh 3. Stay here and hold down the position. Numbuh 5'll be right back."

Kuki started to protest, but Abby already had her weapon out and ready during her sprint into the library.

The spiraling large rows of books were silent and eerie and Abby had half a mind to complain to Matthew about the flickering overhead lights, clearly underused if the dust was any indication.

"Jeez, does nobody read in the KND?!" Abby snorted. "Numbuh 5 means, it's not even _worded_ books! They're _picture_ books for cryin' out loud!"

She ended up moving from row to row, hiding behind corners and checking before moving forward.

It seemed relatively empty, but Abby believed whole-heartedly in Kuki's judgment. She wouldn't be the type to lie, especially when it came to Rainbow Monkeys.

She ended up somewhere deep into the maze. That was when the hair on the back of her neck started to stand on end.

"Who's there?" Abby demanded, moving in a circle. "Numbuh 5's armed, baby!"

Something fluttered behind her, causing her to turn and point her weapon in that direction. Uncertain and, for the first time feeling a pang of terror, she pulled up her communicator for reinforcements. "Uh-uh, Numbuh 5 ain't dealin' with this! Not on _Halloween_!"

'_Status report, Numbuh 5_,' Nigel's voice cackled on the other end.

Abby opened her mouth to the receiver. Directly behind her in the shadows, a pair of amber eyes began to glow.

Nigel never got a response.

* * *

It was quickly emptying on Moonbase. Almost every single operative save for the most workaholic were getting ready for the_ Omega Ultra Super Trick-or-Treat Mission_, designed and implemented every year to restock the _KND Candy Treasury_ until next time.

Rachel was much too busy coordinating around operatives shouting her down with reports to do any kind of trick-or-treating herself. In fact, she couldn't do much of_ anything_ this Halloween.

It was the Supreme Leader's job to willingly share their candy with everyone. The_ KND Candy Treasury_ was the real extent of her sharing power.

"Incoming transmission from Sector V!" Numbuh 65.3 barrelled through a crowd of operatives swarming her and stuck the clipboard under her nose. "It's a _Code Wet Myself!_"

Blinking in alarm, she dismissed the crowd and took the report, leafing through the request for assistance in the KND Museum. They wouldn't be able to send in reinforcements. Not _now_.

She had half a mind to deny further inquiry seeing as anything stolen from the KND Museum wasn't as much as a priority to what was going on, though the contents of the theft surprised her.

"_The_ _Sweetheart of Darkness Rainbow Monkey_?" she looked up from the clipboard. Why did that sound so familiar?

She continued to ponder for a memory long since buried when Herbie continued. "They say it's haunted, sir! Should we make this a priority?"

"Over the _Omega Ultra Super Trick-or-Treat Mission_? You're joking!" Rachel snorted. "And there's no such thing as haunted Rainbow Monkeys."

Patton and Fanny shared a smirk from behind. "Aye," Fanny air-quoted. "Supreme Leadah's a 'realist'. That's why she's not invited to the_ Annual Horror Movie Marathon_ with the nerds upstairs anymore."

"I'm busy," Rachel snapped and shoved the clipboard into her Global Tactical Officer. "And I turned down the invitation myself, Numbuh 86 thanks."

"Last year you nitpicked every single thing that went wrong during the _Arizona Mower Slaughter_," Patton grinned, earning him a withering stare in return.

Rachel wasn't going to let it down. "You know what? That movie was horrible! Who hides in the basement while the killer's on the loose? Seriously! Is it so bad to ask for a bit of common sense from a movie?"

"Yes," they both said in unison.

She sighed and waved them off. "Just get to the docks ready."

Both snickering, they quickly exited the deck with the last of the operatives.

Herbie poked at his clipboard. "Sir? What about Numbuh 1's report?!"

Rachel tapped her foot a bit in deliberation. Eventually she decided on a solution and started to walk away. "Sounds like he's got it under control. Can't he just use the operatives already there in lockdown? I can't drop everything just for a missing Rainbow Monkey. We've only got a few more hours before the Eastern seaboard starts trick-or-treating!"

"It's not _just_ a Rainbow Monkey!" Herbie protested.

Her retreating footsteps stopped and she turned back around. "What did you say?"

_She had been down in the Archives, fulfilling her duties as third-in-command by taking inventory with her Global Tactical Officer. It was routine and was relatively boring after going through it the first five times._

_The sixth time, however, she noticed a new edition to its ranks._

"What an ugly Rainbow Monkey," _she frowned, pointing the butt of her pen at the display case._ "What is it doing in the high security weapon archives anyways?"

_The older boy hovered behind her, gravely silent, before answering._ "It's not_ just_ a Rainbow Monkey. It's dangerous."

_Yeah right._

Herbie snapped her out of her reverie by flailing his arms around. "It's HAUNTED!"

"It is not," she said dismissively. "It's just a creepy doll someone made a bajillion years ago that, for some reason, we call it an artifact. We'll let Sector V deal with it, but if it makes you feel any better, keep sending me updates okay? I've got a gigantic annual mission to oversee."

Herbie saluted, allowing Rachel to leave the Command Deck after Fanny and Patton.

She really_ hated_ Halloween. It was so... gimmicky. The only good thing about the holiday was the free candy and little else. Ghosts, magic, the supernatural; all she could do without.

None of those existed.

Turning the corner, she found a lone operative waiting at the end of the hallway, just standing there and hugging something extremely close to her chest.

Rachel squinted her eyes, vaguely recognizing the blond pigtails belonging to her brother's sector. "Numbuh 83? What are you doing here?"

Sonya said nothing, her head bowed, gaze seemingly fixated to the floor. She seemed to be holding a plush doll upon further inspection, but Rachel wasn't sure.

"Are you alright?" Rachel took a few hesitant steps forward. Something was setting off warning bells in her head. "Is your sector around?"

This better not be a practical joke Harvey was trying to pull on her else he'll be on Toiletnator surveillance for the next two months.

She took a step back in surprise when Sonya finally spoke, "Arȩ..̨. you ́t҉he close͘s҉t ̡I ̸c̕an͠ get ͟t̛o h̨im?́ ̴S̸ųc̀h̢ a͟ ̕p͞rett͡y..͏.͟ y̧o̴un̵g͠..͜. ĺad̵y. ̀You͜ wi͞ll h̸a̛ve..̶. to̕ ́do̶.͢"

"What are you talking about?" Rachel demanded. "As your Supreme Leader, I order you to...!"

The last thing she remembered was Sonya lifting up her head, her amber gaze flickering at her with pure malevolence.

* * *

"Sector X all set and ready to go, Numbuh 86!" Angelie said, shooting a salute while her operatives got ready for the trick-or-treating mission to open up tonight. "We've got our guys stationed at key points around the suburban area at the Supreme Leader's ready!"

Fanny nodded through the screen. "Excellent work, Numbuh 78! I dinna expect anythin' less from a girl leadah! Numbuh 9 would'a been proud!"

Angelie smiled sheepishly at that and, once the transmission ended, glanced at an old picture of her shaking hands with her older brother during her graduation. "Don't worry, Maurice! I'm going to make sure my sector gets the most candy this year! For sure!"

It was almost like destiny. Her communicator started to ring and, noticing the call coming from her older brother, she answered. "Hey Maurice! Wishing me luck?"

"For candy?" his voice was low and in disbelief like the teenager he was. "Trick-or-treating's for kids, Angel. That's good for you, I guess."

She snorted, "And what are you gonna do? Party? Make out with your _girlfriend_? Typical teenage crud. Kids have more fun."

"I'll take your word for it," For some reason, he seemed hesitant. "Say, why don't you take a flight up here and go trick-or-treating instead? My treat."

Angelie bit her bottom lip, finding the offer extremely tempting. It had been awhile since their parents split and she really missed her brother. Spending time with him on Halloween would be great if she wasn't already doing KND stuff.

"I can't," she lied. "I've already... err... have plans with my friends to go trick-or-treating this year." Who else was going to lead the charge all over Louisiana for sweets?

"I'm sure your friends could do without you," he said cryptically. "What, don't want to spend time with your cool big brother?"

She grinned, even when he couldn't see it. "I wouldn't say 'cool' but..." There was no way she was going to give the mission to _Ted_ and her second-in-command was out with a cold. No one could pull this off but her. "Sorry Maurice. Besides, I don't think I'd like to spend Halloween going from one teen party to the other."

He started gnashing his teeth a bit, she could hear it. She knew him well enough to know he was worried about something. "Keep me posted then, okay? Just got a feeling."

"You and your feelings," she laughed. That was when the power to her treehouse went out. "Whoa."

"What_ whoa_?" Maurice demanded. "You okay?"

She was already fishing for her emergency flashlight. "Ah, the lights went out in the treehouse. Charlie's mom probably forgot to foot the bill again. You know how those things are." Despite a strange shiver crawling up her spine, she tried to keep the masquerade going for her decommissioned brother, unaware of his teen agent status.

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned and lowered her communicator a bit. "Um... Numbuh 42?"

Maurice leaned forward from his perch on top of the kitchen counter, brow furrowed in worry. He gripped his cellphone hard when he heard his little sister suddenly scream. "Angel! What's going on?!"

There was only silence and then the sound of Angelie's communicator being picked up.

"H̕el͢l̕o," the soft, raspy voice whispered. "N͠úmb̡e͞r 9̶.̷.. ba͡ck fr͘om͜ ̛his h͏arḑ ̛wo͠rk̨..̨. c̢uŗin̷g̕ ͏c̨h̡i̶c̀ken ͘po͝x͏.͡ I.͢.̵.́ ̛Í have a ̨tea͢ ̧p̷a̵rty̢ wai̕ting̸ fo̢r̀ ̴you҉..̀. and̴ our̡ d̶eares̡t friend͜ş.."

Eyes widening, Maurice started to shake, the past coming back to haunt him once more. "Y-you..." He had hoped the intel had been wrong, that the _Sweetheart of Darkness_ hadn't been stolen, hadn't come back again.

"̶I ͏h͝op͠e y̨o̢u ̛v̕i̧si͞t͠ som͞e͢ti̴m̢e.͡.̸." ̕the voice said. "Tonight̕ ̀we wil͠l ͏h̡a͝v͝e ̨a ̴t͡e͠a pa̸r̕ty wit́h̀ ͢c̴rumpets ͠and̶.̀.̴.͘ ̕t͘ea҉ ̴an̵d̢.̕.̛.̢ ̢puff past́ríe̷s. ̵I̢..̕. wi̧l͝ĺ ̶e͏ven͝ ̀have̴ ̵som͞e ̕n̶ew͠ gues̴t͜s..͘."

"Leave my sister alone!" Maurice yelled into the receiver. "She's got nothing to do with this!"

The call dropped. Still shivering in a mixture of anger and terror, he stumbled dialing his fellow teen operative, the only other person he could contact who had experience with this creature.

"Operator, get me a connection to Numbuh 274!"

**transmission interrupted**


	3. Chapter 3

**connection re-established**

Chad had been relaxing in his bed, tossing a baseball up in the air while out of his open window, kids were excitedly coming together in the neighborhood for their annual trick-or-treating.

Sometimes he'd glance over, somewhat bitter that because he was a teenager he couldn't be as excited for the holiday as they were. There were parties for people his age, sure, but nothing amounted to giant operations designed to gather the greatest loot of sweets and admire the massive pile of candy his organization had to offer.

Right now, Numbuh 362 must be organizing the annual _Omega Ultra Super Trick-or-Treat Mission. _A pang of desire hit him hard, causing the ball he tossed to slam at the ceiling before crashing down.

"No rough housing in the house, Chad-dear!"

"Gah! Leave me alone, mom!" he shouted petulantly at his door and turned on his side, morose now that he had full viewing pleasure watching kids run around in their costumes scouting houses for potential candy. What he wouldn't give to take that mission on again and lead thousands of operatives tonight of all nights.

The Steve was hosting a grand teen party tonight. It'd make for great intel, but Maurice was probably going to be there. Or Tammy. Either way, he didn't have to go if he didn't want to.

As usual, the door knocked once and his dad let himself in without permission, hands on his hips. "Now son, you've been stuck in your room all day! It's _Halloween_! Why don't you go out and have some fun with your friends?"

"Don't have friends," Chad said dismissively. Why have them when he was going to ascend like Numbuh Infinity promised? _Extra baggage_ was what he had called it.

He couldn't see it, but he knew his dad was scratching his chin, no doubt confused by the answer. "Well then, what about_ these_ kids? You've got pictures of them don't ya?!"

That actually made Chad turn. His dad was pointing to the extremely sparce amount of photographs pinned to his corkboard. All of them were from Global Command seeing as his first sector wasn't worth the memories having.

Chad sat up and gazed at a picture of him and Rachel squished against Numbuh 100, the _Dream Team_ they called it once upon a time. With 100 leading, him holding the fort, and Rachel organizing the sectors, they had been unstoppable.

His dad read Rachel's tidy scrawl loudly on the photo. _'To the best team on Moonbase! It was a honor working with you!' _Always the professional. Chad smirked fondly at that.

"Alright, alright," Chad waved lazily to get his dad's attention. "I'll get out. I've got a party down at Steve's tonight anyways."

"That's my boy!" His dad clapped him heartily on the shoulder and exited, leaving Chad standing and staring at the corkboard wishing for a time machine.

His gaze flickered downwards, catching an old picture of him shaking hands with Numbuh 1 while he was still in the Academy. Scowling, he ripped out the picture and tossed it into the wastebasket. As far as he was concerned now, Uno was competition to ascension.

The modified cellphone on his bed started to beep, the peculiar ringtone designated for teen operative business.

He smoothly picked up the phone and heard the teen operator on the other end.

_"This is the Operator with an emergency transmission from 9 dash 274. Voice verification needed."_

"274 dash 9," Chad answered, confused that he was getting a call directly through the TND channel than just a simple phone call from Maurice. "Patch it through."

_"Verified. Standby for connection 274."_

What he got wasn't what he expected. Maurice seemed almost panicked and desperate on the other line, whining about his sister and eerie voices. "Hey, hey! Slow down just a sec, okay? What's your damage?"

Maurice's recount of his conversation with his little sister made him pause, his blue eyes widening. "That's not possible."

But it was. He ended up sliding in front of his computer to look for current TND intel, making note of the KND Museum under lockdown but no word about why yet. "We might need to recruit Cree for this investigation," he told Maurice finally. "That thing wasn't joking last time. Cree could be..."

* * *

Wally charged alongside a group of security guards for Nigel. "Numbuh 1! We've got a breach in the left wing! We tried to catch up, but they were already gone!"

"Perfect," Nigel's words dripped with annoyance. "Alright, I want the lockdown over. Might as well not seal everyone in while the _Omega Ultra Super Trick-or-Treat Mission_ is almost underway." Nodding to Hoagie to open the museum back up, Nigel started to pace and nearly slammed into Kuki that way. "Numbuh 3! Where's Numbuh 5?!"

Kuki started to bounce on her heels in distress. "Numbuh 5 went into the picture book library and she never came out! I think the Rainbow Monkey got her!"

"Oh please!" Wally snorted. "A stupid Rainbow Monkey isn't going to take down Numbuh 5!"

Ignoring them, Nigel tried to contact Abby with his communicator. He thought he got a signal before it went silent. "Status report, Numbuh 5!"

"You're just going to hear static," Virginia said hesitantly, approaching from the shadows. "The darkness is long gone. And it's got Abigail."

"I KNEW IT!" Kuki sobbed into her sleeves. "I should've went with her! I'm soooorrry Numbuh 5...!" Rolling his eyes, Wally nevertheless patted her on the shoulder in sympathy.

Nigel glanced suspiciously at Virginia. "Let's say I believe in your 'ESP'-ness, Numbuh 23. For the sake of my teammate, what do _you_ think we should do about a possessed Rainbow Monkey?"

"Call the Ghostbusters?" Hoagie supplied unhelpfully.

Virginia nodded eagerly to Hoagie and then patted herself on the chest. "That's what MY sector is known for! _Supernatural activity!_ Who do you think reinforced the ward on that portal to the ghost hamster world after Numbuh 3's trip there?"

"Fair enough," Nigel said and started to pace again. "What do you know about the_ Sweetheart of Darkness Rainbow Monkey_ then?"

Her response surprised them. "It's captured operatives before. Five years ago to be exact."

Nigel frowned and shared a look with Hoagie. "I don't remember anything like that happening five years ago."

"I didn't either," Hoagie supported. Kuki and Wally shook their heads as well.

Virginia looked down at her shoes. "That's because the records were sealed away, on the orders of Numbuh 100."

"EVERYONE MOVE! YOUR GLOBAL TACTICAL OFFICER HAS ARRIVED!" As soon as the lockdown shutters opened, the Moonbase personal guard started piling in, blocking some of the operatives trying to leave. Nigel could barely open his mouth in surprise before Fanny aggressively made her way over and lifted him up to slam him against the console.

"Hey!" Wally shouted, rolling up his sleeves. He was suddenly stopped by Patton's nightstick, his own gaze stoic and threatening. "Numbuh 60?! What's the big idea?!"

Fanny paid no attention but to Sector V's commander. "WHAT WENT MISSING HERE?!"

"Some kind of antique Rainbow Monkey!" Nigel growled back. ("A _haunted_ antique Rainbow Monkey!" Virginia corrected loudly.) "Why? What's going on?!"

Patton moved forward to show him a screenshot of a girl carrying a familiar looking doll, seemingly from the Moonbase security feed. "This girl was seen just before everyone disembarked from Moonbase for the annual trick-or-treat mission. Numbuh 362 did not make it to her shuttle as scheduled."

"WHAT?!" Nigel said incredulously.

Hoagie's eyes widened when he examined the image. "Hey... that kind of looks like one of my brother's old teammates!"

"Tha's Numbuh 83 of Sectah W!" Fanny snarled. "Her login credentials were the last on base before it went into lockdown! Not one single hamster can get through the defenses! Not _one_! AND I KNOW YOU 'AD A HAND IN THIS, NUMBUH 1! AND YER GONNA FIX IT!"

Kuki gasped when she took a look with Virginia. "Oh! There it is! That Rainbow Monkey! She _has_ it!"

"The very same," Virginia said with a shake of her head. "I was afraid this would happen. She's already possessed."

"Possessed, traitor, who cares!" Fanny yelled and slammed Nigel against the console again for good measure. "I want tha' Moonbase unsealed and our Supreme Leader retrieved! We cannae coordinate any of the sectors around the globe without 'er!"

Which meant that KND trick-or-treating may have to be cancelled. Everyone murmured gravely, unsure if it was possible to cancel a yearly tradition. But the only one who actively knew every single sector from the smallest shrub to the biggest treehouse had always been the Supreme Leader.

"Don't worry, sir!" Nigel fixed his sunglasses confidently. "We'll take back Moonbase and secure Numbuh 362. Sector V is on it!"

"Four out of five, that is," Kuki mewed sadly. She sincerely wished that Abby was around.

* * *

Cree was in the middle of doing her make-up while talking on the phone. Her witch's outfit for the _Pro-Teen Halloween Party_ at The Steve's place was just perfectly well-fitting. Maurice was going to love the get up when she got there!

"I'm telling you, every year that stupid _Babies Next Door_ just trick-or-treats during Halloween, Jean. Have you seen a child refuse going door-to-door begging for sweets like a selfish brat?" she bragged, balancing her cellphone while putting on eyeliner. "We've got nothing to worry about!"

There was a knock on her bedroom door.

"I'm on the phone!" Cree glanced irritably at it. She jumped when something heavy dropped outside of her room and she rolled her eyes. No doubt her mother was doing an emergency autumn cleaning or something. "I'll call you back, Jean. Someone's bugging me."

She threw open her door and found no one there except for a large box sitting on the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Abby's door slammed closed. "What's her problem?" Cree scowled and kicked the corner of the box for any surprise KND explosives.

Her untidy scrawl on the flaps said otherwise. _Cree's Toys_. It was her old box of items she tossed when she became a teenager and left for the attic.

"Very funny, Abigail!" she jeered across the hallway and kicked the box into her room. Whatever, she'll just stuff it in the closet and continue to forget about it as usual.

Perhaps it was just nostalgia kicking in. She found herself glancing at the box every once in awhile until, with a growl of frustration, she tore the top off and picked up the first thing inside.

It was outdated 2x4 tech she had been tinkering on as Numbuh 11. She scoffed and tossed them over her shoulder. Sometimes she'd find a random toy that used to have meaning for her and toss it. She buried her hands into the junk that once had meaning to her and wondered if there was anything still of worth in this box of worthlessness.

She pulled up her old KND photo album. Making sure the door was locked lest Abby found her and started teasing, she sat on the floor and started leafing through the pages.

An unwanted smile started to appear when she looked at old pictures of Sector V. Back when she was their leader and believed in extended recess or mandatory pizza parties. Maurice was in a lot of them and she didn't need to wonder why. Even at a young age she always had a soft spot for the guy.

Her smile turned sappy at a peculiar picture, one with her and Abby hugging and grinning at the camera after her little sister's first successful mission in Sector V. They were covered in pesto sauce, which made her laugh a bit.

The nostalgia ended when her cellphone beeped, indicating a second call. Tossing the book on her bed, she picked up her cellphone and saw Chad's name blare on the screen.

"Ugh, it better not be Teen Ninja business," She'd rather have one day where they weren't scheming on them. With a growl, she answered, "If you say Teen Ninja business, I'm hanging up!"

"Nice," the voice drawled on the other end. "Losing your touch taking on the KND, Cree?"

"Don't make me laugh!" she laughed anyways. "I just rather do teenage things like go to parties, or did you_ 'lose'_ your invitation, Dickson?"

Surprisingly, he didn't take the bait. "Forget the party. We've got a problem. Have you heard from your sister?"

Her sister? Cree raised an eyebrow and looked at the wall that connected their rooms together. "Why?" she demanded suspiciously.

"It's a good night for a tea party, isn't it?"

She nearly dropped her phone. "W-what... okay, that's not funny, Dickson! Stop it!" The memory of that Halloween night and the horrors they went through... she had almost wondered if she imagined it.

Years later and she had just finally started enjoying the holiday.

"Remember Maurice's sister? Her location went dark a half hour ago according to the radar we hacked from the KND computer. So did _yours_."

"That's impossible," Cree frowned. "I just saw Abby a few minutes ago! She dropped a box in my room!"

"Did you _actually_ see her?" His words caused a shiver to go up her spine. Without another word, she immediately went to Abby's room and pounded on the door.

"Abby! Are you in there?!" she demanded.

Her mother poked her head out of the laundry room, forcing Cree to hide her scowl. "Is something wrong, _mon cheri?_"

Cree feigned sweetness. "Of course not, mom! I was just going to ask if Abigail wanted her hair done for Halloween." Her mother smiled back and as soon as she disappeared, Cree forced her way into Abby's room.

There was no one in the room. It was exactly the way it was before Abby ran out the door this morning for the treehouse down the street.

Panic hitting her hard, she started checking under the bed and the closet. "Abby?! ABBY?! Don't play around, Abby! I know you're in here!"

The window was open, the curtains fluttering in the light breeze. She ran over and looked out the window, seeing nothing but suburbia and the sunset. Children were starting to trickle out in their Halloween costumes.

"This is just a stupid joke!" Cree snarled and fought with the curtains a bit. It couldn't be, it_ can't_. Maurice's sister probably was just doing stupid KND things and Chad was just trying to pull her leg because it was Halloween.

It was half a decade ago when it happened! Why now?!

She stepped on something that stuck to her heel. The cheap polaroid frame reminded her of the pictures she had in her old photo book. Picking it up, she started to shake. She had never taken this picture before.

It was her, Maurice, and Chad sitting around a tea table. All of them were frightfully young and miserable. The only one smiling was a shadowed girl holding a Rainbow Monkey on her lap.

"No. No, no, no!" Cree dropped the photo and started to pull at her hair. "He promised it wouldn't happen again! He _promised_!"

And now, history was repeating itself and it was going to make Abigail pay for what happened to her five years ago. With a horrified sob, she bolted out of the room, ignoring her mother's questioning shout, and onto the driveway.

There was a familiar car near the curb. Maurice rolled down his driver side window, his gaze just as fearful and determined. Chad looked over from the other side and closed his cell phone.

"Does Maurice... how does he know?" she glared at him. "He was decommissioned!"

Chad shrugged already weaving in the lie for Maurice's appearance. "The perks of being a former Supreme Leader. I know a thing or two about retrieving memories. It's temporary and it might not work again, but it's working _now_."

"If this is true," she demanded softly, eyes trained on Chad, "if it took Abby and Angel, our _siblings_, who did it take from _you_?"

Good question. Chad's brow furrowed, unsure who was important enough to him that warranted a kidnapping. A moment passed before Maurice's eyes suddenly lit up as soon as Chad's did.

"We're going to Moonbase," Chad said and opened the door for her. "Buckle up."

**transmission interrupted**


	4. Chapter 4

**connection re-established**

With Maurice 'pretending' he was recommissioned, it felt a bit awkward for him and Cree to be sharing the same space while they traveled to Moonbase.

What would you say to your boyfriend, who was once a former KND teammate honorably decommissioned, now that he was unknowingly dating a traitor the whole time?

Unsurprisingly, Maurice was more worried about his sister, who had been dragged into his own mess, one that he had been sure would forever be buried in the past. The only one who seemed remotely normal about the whole thing was Chad, who was positive he didn't have any significant ties back in the KND for the doll to truly threaten him with.

Numbuh 362's disappearance didn't rattle him. Not at all.

Except the latest intel. Chad lowered his communicator and was the first to speak. "Moonbase is under lockdown and I can't contact the Supreme Leader for TND special access."

"Dude!" Maurice piped up, gesturing to Cree. "Did you forget who's here?!"

Before Cree could open her mouth in question, Chad held up his phone and flashed her before she fell silent again, confused.

Maurice scowled at him. "I hate when you do that."

"It's not gonna kill her," Chad smirked and spun the phone in his hand. "Unlike you, I've got _no_ standards about wiping memories."

"Wiping what?!" Cree demanded only for her very thought to be wiped again by the flash of Chad's phone.

Maurice grabbed Chad's phone and stuffed it in his pocket. "Can you_ NOT_ partially erase my girlfriend's memory just for kicks?"

Unfortunately for Maurice, her memory of the ride to Moonbase needed to be wiped periodically as they discussed the right way to dock while Moonbase was impenetrable.

There were KND ships already surrounding Moonbase, trying to hail for someone inside that wouldn't heed their signals. A semi-transparent barrier reminiscent of a beehive pattern glimmered in a protective dome over the treehouse, preventing any to get in or get out.

Accessing stealth mode to evade the KND ships, they started to silently drift toward the dome.

"What makes you think we'll be able to get in?" Cree frowned, leaning forward between the front seats.

"Why not?" Chad retorted. "That stupid Rainbow Monkey is looking for us, isn't it? I'm sure it's got the welcoming carpet all nice and ready."

At their approach, the familiar female voice of Global Command's computer greeted them.

_WARNING: MOONBASE IS CURRENTLY UNDER LOCKDOWN._

"This is Numbuh 274," Chad told the computer. Strangely enough, instead of the computer denying a traitor access, it answered:

_ANYONE ELSE?_

Cree visibly shivered. The only time the computer would show any emotion was if it was hacked like the _Grand Wizard Riot of '99_. She shared a moment with Maurice, who looked at her in a mixture of disappointment and dismissiveness, playing the part of a recommissioned agent disgusted with dating a traitor.

Chad ignored them. "Numbuh 9 and 11 are here too."

_ACCESS GRANTED. PLEASE PARK IN THE DESIGNATED AREA. REMEMBER THERE ARE NO EMERGENCY EXITS IN AND OUT OF MOONBASE. HAVE A PLEASANT DAY._

"Ugh, good to know," Maurice said sourly when part of the barrier collapsed for them. "No way out. _Ever_."

"Sounds good to me," Chad smiled to himself and started loading up his weapon. "I've been itching for a mission like this. For a _long_ time."

"Doesn't bother you that it's got Numbuh 362, does it?" Maurice accused as soon as they parked on the docks. "Because you don't have any friends or loved ones. That doll promised it would take revenge on those most important to us. Must be insulting to find out it had to make due with the closest co-worker you knew instead."

Chad flinched just a bit, but he continued to gear up despite it all. "So what?" he smiled bitterly. "The mission is all that matters. We get in, settle the score, save the brats. Maybe steal some new tech while we're at it as a consolation prize for Cree. Sounds pretty straightforward to me."

Maurice continued to look at him pitifully, which earned him a scowl before Chad kicked open his door and got out. Shaking her head at their antics, Cree slid out of the makeshift car slash ship and felt a giant wave of nostalgia hit her looking around the docks.

It had been so long since she stepped foot on Moonbase. Even the air smelled the same: stale popcorn and cotton candy.

"Never walked around Moonbase as quiet as it is now," Maurice noted as he holstered his Teen Ninja weapon. "It's eerie."

Chad snorted, focusing on the door that just suddenly opened to them. "That's what it wants, I bet. You guys want to waltz into a trap? There's the front door."

"You've got another option, Dickson?" Cree asked dryly, raising an eyebrow as she watched him feeling up the walls nearby.

"Yeah, the service entrance," Slamming his shoulder into the sweet spot on the wall, a secret door folded out, revealing a narrow dimly lit corridor riddled with pipes and the occasional steam shooting out. "_Open says-a-me_."

"Clever."

* * *

The only way to understand the severity of what Sector V has to deal with in this particular mission was to go back to the past.

Virginia led them to her sector's treehouse: a gnarled structure built upon a willow tree said to be home to a number of friendly ghost animals in the middle of a dense forest.

"Ewww..." Kuki shivered, gazing around the hazy trees. "It's so foggy!"

"It's always like that," Virginia shrugged with disinterest before inviting them in by rope bridge. She led them deep into the empty treehouse, ignoring their oohing and ahhing of the various supernatural objects hanging on the walls until she showed them her room. It was a simple shrine with chalk markings all over the floor.

Hoagie took a step back out of nervousness. "Err... this isn't gonna _hurt_ us, is it?"

"You watch too many horror movies," Virginia chuckled and sat down on the edge of the chalk circle.

Nigel examined the markings inquisitively. "Looks like a strange looping script with unknown origins. From the underworld, perhaps?"

"It's just the alphabet written in cursive. Now will you guys sit around the circle? Jeez."

Mirroring the way Virginia folded her legs, they all held hands and watched her visibly relax, closing her eyes.

"I call upon the sweet and protective spirits that dwell in this treehouse. Draw memory from the offering we have placed in the circle, pretty please with ghostly candy on top?" The broken glass that once held the display of the Rainbow Monkey began to shiver and shake on the floor.

Wally flinched and nearly let go of Kuki, only for her to reinforce her hold and smile reassuringly. Resolve strengthened, he pushed down his fear and gazed at the trembling mess of glass.

"Coooool..." Hoagie breathed out when wisps of fog surrounded the glass and then twisted upwards to form a viewing portal for them. It was playing back Sonya's theft of the Rainbow Monkey.

"Ah-ha!" Wally said triumphantly. "We found the culprit! Case solved!"

Nigel frowned. "We already knew _who_ did it, Numbuh 4. Can we get anything else? Like what happened to Numbuh 5 or 362?"

"Unless I've got something belonging to the Rainbow Monkey, no," Virginia shook her head. "I can only look into what the glass saw, but..." she tapped at her chin thoughtfully. "Listen, even if we find them, we have no way of knowing how to seal the Rainbow Monkey. It'd be suicide if we took on it without a plan. I brought you guys here for a reason; to show you that this is serious magical stuff at work."

The wisps faded and Wally was allowed to punch his palm again. "I say we just blow the stupid doll to smithereens! KAPOW! Right in its stupid face!" Kuki frowned unpleasantly at how giddy Wally was about tearing up Rainbow Monkeys, even if this particular one _was_ evil.

"If it managed to subdue Numbuh 5, 83, _AND_ a Supreme Leader, I doubt it would be that easy," Nigel reasoned and checked his watch. "We've only got a couple of hours before the trick-or-treat mission is underway, Numbuh 23. If we need a plan, we better do it now."

Hoagie gestured helplessly. "So do we know who sealed it away in the first place? We can always politely ask!"

"I know who did," Virginia smiled devilishly at Wally. "Itching to crash a_ teen_ party, Numbuh 4?"

Wally beamed at her. "Now we're speakin' Australian!"

* * *

A few of the hallways leading to the Global Command Deck was blocked, leaving the three teens to try to squish themselves through with mixed results.

"Get your elbow off of my chest!" Cree howled at Chad.

Maurice, practically sandwiched between the two of them, tried to calm them down. "Will you shut up you two? Someone could hear us!"

"Who's gonna hear? The_ hamsters_?" Chad snarked, twisting his head to avoid Cree's sharp nails before they all tumbled out of the exit onto the Leda deck below Global Command. He dusted himself off and admired the thick nostalgia wafting through. "Ah, I miss this place."

_"I think it has the best view on Moonbase, don't you agree Numbuh 274?"_ a soft, familiar voice whispered into the nonexistent wind.

Chad snapped his head to his companions but Maurice was already tapping away at a security console searching for the missing operatives with Cree looking over his shoulder. When he turned back around, he found a semi-transparent figment of his younger self leaning forward on the railing to gaze out the giant windows and witness the earthrise beyond.

An extremely small girl barely reaching his shoulders bounded up to his younger self, paperwork overwhelming her arms. It was Numbuh 362, fresh out of KND Intelligence.

_"One day I'm going to be Supreme Leader. Then I'll always have a view like this,"_ his younger self said. _"What do you think about that, Numbuh 362?"_

_"If you were anybody else? I'd say you needed another dream,"_ she smiled up at him. _"But you're _Numbuh 274_. I know you're going to lead us one day! You're the best there is!"_

She had sounded so honest and proud of her words that Chad mirrored his younger self's smile, one that he hadn't shown anyone in years. He had forgotten how optimistic Rachel had been when he knew her, how dedicated she was as his Supreme Spy Commander and then his Global Tactical Officer.

While the rest idolized him, she believed in him. She still did when he defected and became a double agent to her when she took the mantle of Supreme Leader.

The thought of her entangled in this mess finally got his blood boiling. He blinked once and the apparitions before him disappeared. Nostalgia, no doubt. "Got any locations? I'd like to get moving before I turn into an old man."

"Won't take long," Maurice said from the terminal. "Looks like you're already growing grey hair these days anyways." Cree snickered when Chad pulled at his hair in alarm.

"It's not turning grey! I'm just turning more blond!"

"Whatever you say, _old man_," Maurice teased, only to stiffen in alarm when he caught someone glancing at one of the cameras, just standing there staring.

Abby was located in the Moonbase gym, deathly still, and staring up at them from the camera. The image kept flickering. The image was extremely unnerving.

Refusing to be intimidated, Cree made a break for the elevators.

"Hey!" Maurice yelled, jumping out of the seat after her, but the doors closed just before he could reach her. He punched the doors a few times out of frustration. "That's just what it wants, Cree! CREE!" He slapped the wall once more before turning around. "Chad, we need to... Chad?"

There was no one in the vicinity but him.

* * *

The _Pro-Teen Halloween Party_ was in full force tonight. Packed from corner to corner with costumed teens, everyone laughed and danced on the one night where they didn't have to deal with KND brats because they were out trick-or-treating and out of their hair.

Steve was regaling his band's exploits to his small posse of 'fans' when Justin Cavallero ran up to him, out of breath. "Like... Steve!"

"Uh... no? It's _The_ Steve, dude," he corrected coolly, earning a few swoons from the girls. "Can't you see I'm busy entertaining these fine ladies?"

Cavallero sputtered and pointed at the front door. "There's KIDS pounding on the door, St-err... _The_ Steve!"

"So? Tell them we've got no candy and then get 'em with the hose!"

"They're not trick-or-treaters!" he tried to keep his voice low to deter the partygoers, but failed. "They're the _Kids Next Door_!"

The sound of a record scratched and the music died abruptly. Everyone paused from their own thing to look at their leader, awaiting orders.

Steve shrugged lazily and gave them all his best smile. "Kids Next Door? So what? Relax everyone! Enjoy the party! They can't mess with us on Halloween. It's like... part of a treaty or something? Where's Cree when ya need her? She's the one who does all that kind of paperwork!" Feigning stupidity, he clapped Cavallero on the shoulder and led him to the front door.

He blinked at the group of kids on his doorstep and righted his sunglasses. "Like... can I help you, little dudes? Better not be wanting to start trouble. Remember the Halloween treaty or something."

"Bah!" Wally snorted and started cracking his knuckles. "We're not here for treats, but we'll definitely give you a good _trick_!" Fanny smacked him upside the head before he could physically attack Steve. "OW! HEY!"

"Ye stoopid rocks for brains!" Fanny growled. "Did ya forget the _All Hallow's Treaty_?! They dunna mess with our trick-or-treatin' an' we dunna mess with dere parties!"

Virginia straightened with determination to the leader of the Teen Ninjas. "You've got something we need, Steve!"

"_The_ Steve!" he corrected loudly.

"And I aim to take it. Hand it over," She held out her palm to him.

"You and what army?" Steve taunted. When Virginia smugly thumbed over her shoulder, he was looking at a large army of angry KND operatives filling up the entire cul-de-sac, carrying large banners while 2x4 planes ran the perimeter in the skies. "Right. _That_ army," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Come in, have some punch."

His girlfriend, dressed up as a zombie, hovered from behind to frown with distaste at Virginia. "Geez, Steve!" ("_THE_ Steve!" he snarled for the third time.) "You're such a pushover for your baby sister, aren't you?"

"Shut up."

"Sister?!" Nigel exclaimed, looking between Virginia and the leader of the Teen Ninjas. "You guys are siblings?!"

Virginia shook her palm impatiently. "Steve, I just want your commemorative keychain. I'll give it back later."

With a quirk of his eyebrow, Steve fished through his pockets and held up his car keys. "You mean this stupid thing?"

Wally gaped. "You mean we brought an army just to get a stoopid_ keychain_?!"

"It's not just any keychain," Nigel gazed upon the moon and star trinket with reverence. "that's the _Supreme Leader Farewell Keychain_, a gift for decommissioned Supreme Leaders."

Just like that, many operatives started to kneel respectfully to Steve, even if he was their arch nemesis now. Despite Fanny's protest, Patton recognized the older teen and bowed his head to him. "_Numbuh 100_."

"Heh, as if!" Steve grinned. "But I appreciate the bowing just the same. You should do that more often."

Nigel almost fell over. "He's... h-he's... _Numbuh 100_?! The leader of the _Teen Ninjas_?!"

"You really surprised?" Virginia asked, her gaze fixated on the keychain. "Who else do you think could lead the Teen Ninjas even with his memories gone? Steve was always a natural-born leader."

Steve smirked at her. "Flatterer. But there's no way I'm giving you my lucky keychain! Now beat it!"

"But I said I'd give it back!"

"Don't care," he said smugly. "You'll get your kiddy fingerprints all over it."

"You give me no choice, Steve!" Virginia said and, when she stuffed a hand into her pocket, everyone took a step back.

Cavallero stuttered, "I-is she really going to attack us?!"

"She bettah not!" Fanny growled.

To everyone's confusion, Virginia pulled out a tissue and started to tear up. "WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Sector V covered up their ears. "YOU'RE SO MEAN TO ME, STEEEEVE! _MOOOOOOOOM_!"

"She's using the _M-word_!" Cavallero gaped. "Everyone start running!"

Steve already moved forward, trying to shush her with his hands in an attempt to salvage his party. "H-hey! Don't bring mom into this! Stop it!"

She continued to cry and, almost on cue, Kuki started to cry. Then another female operative. Pretty soon a good number of 'sensitive' KND operatives openly sobbed, gaining the attention of some of the adults outside who were taking their toddlers trick-or-treating.

Cavallero started to shake at Steve's shoulder. "Do something, Steve!"

"_THE_ St-oh, forget it for crud's sake!" he started taking the key chain off. "Stop crying! If I give you the keychain, you better beat it, Ginny! Tonight's not a good night to start kicking KND butt. Tonight's a party night, isn't that right, dudes?!" Over his shoulder, Teen Ninja alumni cheered and raised their root beers to him.

She immediately stopped crying and smiled. Like a faucet, Kuki and the others also stopped on command. "Deal!" With that, he tossed the keychain at her and shut the door on their faces. Wally pouted in disappointment.

"Aw mannnn! I wanted to kick some tail!"

Virginia raised the keychain up, letting the moon and star spin gently. "We don't have time for an assault, just insurance. We've got what we need."

"Aye, an' what does a _keychain_ gunna do ter save our Supreme Leadah?!" Fanny demanded and waved the army down.

"These keychains are infused with the memories of someone before they were decommissioned," Virginia explained. "We're going into Numbuh 100's past to see how he managed to stop the _Sweetheart of Darkness_ five years ago."

**transmission interrupted**


	5. Chapter 5

**connection re-established**

Cree barely had time to comprehend the elevator doors shutting her in without her prompting, nor Maurice nearly getting skewered trying to reach her and failing. Determined not to let parlor tricks beat the great Cree Lincoln, she punched the button for the Moonbase Gym.

Her descent down was smooth for a moment before the lights started flickering.

"That's right," she chastised herself and slapped her forehead. "A haunted plush is out to get me and I use the _elevator_. I deserve to end up like those bimbos in a horror movie."

It was only a matter of time before the elevator was going to mess around and, like clockwork, the elevator stopped between levels as soon as the lights flickered off.

"I don't have time for games!" Cree snarled and turned on her KND _WRISTWATCH_, the only piece of 2x4 gadgetry she kept when she defected.

The watch was the badge of every sector leader. She had _earned_ it.

She turned the rotary, letting it spin to activate the lighting feature. Searching for the seams to the emergency hatch above, the elevator whirred to life again, but instead of descending it was going back up.

_**"Hello..."**_ A decadent voice inched its way out of the speakers._** "My beloved Number 11... all grown up... into a proper lady..."**_

"Where's Abigail?" she demanded.

_**"...it's just... she's agreed to have a nice tea party with me..."**_ the voice said hesitantly._** "It would... be nice... if you could join us... we have pie and sweet cakes..."**_

Cree growled. "I don't WANT to go to your stupid tea party! Not now, not ever! When I get my hands on your little plush neck I'm turning you into Rainbow Munchies cereal!"

There was a strained silence. She could hear it quiver, almost tearfully. _**"You are an ill-behaved young lady... I shan't let you play until you apologize."**_

"Bite me."

The elevator reached its highest point and then plunged downwards in a free fall.

* * *

The sound of the elevator crashing fifty floors down caused Maurice to panic.

"CREE?!" he shouted, flinging himself against the railing to peer down below for any signs of her. The view was too narrow at this angle, but he could see smoke wafting up from the crash.

Praying to something that she was okay, he realized the seriousness of it all and decided to try to re-open Moonbase for backup, cover blown be damned. He climbed over to a communications console and started hailing.

Maurice reached for the panel until a ghost-like hand draped over his. He nearly fell back off his seat in alarm to find himself staring at an after image of him much younger showing the newly graduated Angelie the ropes of the communications system, the memory vivid in his head.

_"You graduated so quickly that you ended up in Global Command,"_ his younger self looked down on Angelie proudly. _"Yup, you're my sister alright."_

She laughed. _"It's only temporary! Sector X says they're interested in me. I'm kinda holding off on promotions for that."_

_"Good girl. There's nothing better than joining a sector,"_ he nodded._ "You're gonna make some valuable friends, Angelie... I mean, _Numbuh 78_."_ She tried to scramble away from his noogie but it was too late so she laughed instead.

Maurice watched them, both confused and touched before the images disappeared completely. Time had gone so quickly, he had almost forgot those little moments. Returning to Moonbase must have left a deep imprint inside of him if he was seeing after images everywhere.

Shaking his head, he got back to the task at hand. Now wasn't the time for nostalgia.

"Anyone out there?! This is Numbuh 9!" he said into the abandoned headset. "Moonbase has been compromised, I repeat, Moonbase has been compromised! Requesting reinforcements! I'll try to get the base out of lockdown!"

A trickling sound of a music box echoed in the empty deck, distracting him long enough to pull away from the console and find the source of it. He recognized that tune.

It had played the last time too. That stupid song.

_Rainbow Monkeys, Rainbow Monkeys, you must do whatever I please..._

Gripping his head, Maurice grit his teeth as the song started pounding in his brain and fell to his knees. "No... not again!" He dropped his head down, almost in a fetal position, unaware of Angelie flickering behind him against the erratic lighting.

_"Number 9... the sweetest one of my friends..."_ Amber eyes glowing, Angelie raised a metal bat over her head, her features in a twisted smile before it came crashing down onto Maurice's back. _"Naughty boy... it is not polite to try to invite people... without the host knowing."_

He howled in pain and twisted out-of-the-way, eyes widening when his little sister started chasing after him, laughing maniacally while swinging it around trying to hit him.

Every time she missed him, something got destroyed; from a chair to a console. There was no care with her hits, just the joy of hitting something, anything. "ANGEL! Stop!"

_"You can't dodge forever!"_ Angelie laughed, nearly getting him on the head with a well-timed swing if he hadn't dodged. _"Only those invited can go to_ Sweetheart's _tea party, Number 9!"_

She was possessed. His heart dropped hard to his gut when he cried out for her and dodged the bat again.

_"TA-TA!"_ she yelled cheerfully and started swinging again.

* * *

Sonya watched with barely a hint of emotion of the smoking wreckage of the elevator in the video feed or the next screen where Maurice was cornered by his little sister's rampage, refusing to save himself at the cost of her's.

Inside the large Supreme Leader's office, a figure slipped silently from the vents up above and pressed the barrel of his weapon against the back of Sonya's head.

_**"Number 2...74..." **_Sonya beamed with a serenity befitting a mother seeing her son again after a war._** "My most troublesome... but ambitious friend..."**_

"You'll get more trouble out of me if you don't surrender," Chad growled, clicking the safety back. "No more games. This is the end."

She hummed pleasantly and squeezed the doll for comfort. _**"Now now... enough rabble-rousing... a tea party will begin soon... it would be ever so nice... if you would join us."**_

"I'll have to decline, sorry," he snapped. "I've always _hated_ tea."

_**"But... Number 362... loves tea," **_That got him to pause. _**"I know... everything about her... like I know you. My poor beloved... 274... was she the only friend you had?"**_

He shoved the barrel further into her skull, causing her to actually wince for once. "SHUT UP! I don't need friends and I don't need your stupid tea!"

_**"Would you really hurt this body to get to me? The girl who's become my best friend?"** _Sonya asked softly.

If he had to, for the sake of the KND, he would. "Without hesitation."

She sighed. _**"Then I suppose... the other girl isn't... much of worth then either."**_ One of the screens in front of her started to flicker, giving Chad a front row seat of Rachel tied and standing on top of a smoking grate.

He recognized the location. Moonbase Cafeteria. "I see now," he snarled. "You're giving me an ultimatum, aren't you?"

_**"...clever Number 274... always clever. Tricky. I told you... I understand you..."**_ ̀Sonya smiled. _**"Even if you stop me... it won't stop the trap. Sonya told me... 362 once ate through broccoli... and ended up in a coma."**_

It soon dawned on him, his eyes widening when the figure in front of him faded away.

An illusion.

Cursing loudly, he kicked the Supreme Leader's chair aside to smack the flickering security screens, finding Sonya down in the cafeteria waiting for him, her stare urging him to run away than confront her.

"I'm going to ruin you," Chad promised the screen and that insipid face. "I don't care how I do it!" Like a caged animal, he stormed out of the office to head for the cafeteria, playing easily into her hands.

* * *

While Fanny tried desperately as Global Tactical Officer to get things organized with or without the Supreme Leader for the trick-or-treat event, Virginia and Sector V returned to her treehouse for another séance.

"We call upon the good and sweet spirits of this treehouse. Guide us to victory by bringing us to the past," Virginia said solemnly and placed the keychain on the circle. Instantly the white foggy wisps returned, dancing around the keychain until it started to shake and lift. "Please tell us," she implored, "what happened five years ago with the _Sweetheart of Darkness Rainbow Monkey_."

Most of Sector V clung to Nigel when the entire room started to shake and the wisps became erratic and large, spinning themselves into a mini-tornado with them at the eye of the storm. "D-did we do something wrong?!" Nigel stuttered.

"I'm scared!" Kuki whined, hiding her face in Wally's sleeve.

Virginia could only stare wide-eyed as the spirits started freaking out. "This has never happened before! Cool!"

"What's _cool_ about this?!" Wally screamed against the roar of the winds. "EYYYAAAAH!"

The wind around them started to collect into one point in the middle of the circle, catching into the keychain as it snapped around in air before the sphere lit up and grew in a distinctive ghostly form.

Hoagie pointed up at the apparition in fear. "T-that l-looks like Numbuh 100!"

_"That's because I AM Numbuh 100,"_ the ghost said in a booming voice and then gave Virginia a grave parade rest. Unlike Steve now, he looked no different from he was a day shy of thirteen. _"Why did you summon me from my rest, Ginny?"_

Nigel stood up and saluted his first ever Supreme Leader. "Sir! We need to know what was done to seal away the _Sweetheart of Darkness Rainbow Monkey_ five years ago! It's returned and we think it has Numbuh 5 and 362!"

The ghostly presence of Virginia's brother flickered when he lowered his eyes, resigned, before looking back up. _"I was afraid this would eventually happen. We shouldn't have taken it after the excavation of the Alamode."_

"The Alamode?" Hoagie raised an eyebrow.

_"Plans to finish excavating all the unfortunate operatives caught in the Alamode were still in effect during my reign as Supreme Leader,"_ Numbuh 100 elaborated._ "That was when we found it, this abomination of a Rainbow Monkey that should have never existed."_

Nigel nodded in realization and smacked his palm. "Of course! Where else would such an evil and disgusting toy come from if not from the _Triplets Who Lived Upon the Hill?_"

_"Ever on the ball, Numbuh 1,"_ Numbuh 100 nodded._ "That is what our archaeologists believed as well. Because of this, our KND Curator at the time was determined to keep it in the Museum as an artifact. Then, during its Halloween display five years ago, it had been seized."_

Virginia's eyes widened. "Like what happened today!"

_"It should have never been displayed,"_ Numbuh 100 said with a growl of frustration. _"After it was taken down, I ordered it sealed away, never to be seen again! Of course, history would always repeat itself, no matter how much we prepare. The _Sweetheart of Darkness_ needs a host to move around. Without one, it's nothing but a plush sitting somewhere. It feeds and lures those who truly fear the unknown and the darkest of dark... stuff."_

Kuki shook her head sadly. "Numbuh 83..."

"Enough with the stoopid history lesson! How do we fight the stupid plush?!" Wally recoiled sheepishly at the stern gaze Numbuh 100 gave him. "Err... uh... hehe..._ sir._"

Virginia jumped in alarm when her brother turned to her from his potted helmet, his frown determined. _"When I discovered the _Sweetheart of Darkness_ sought out my operatives, I brought my best KND Archaeologists and Supernatural Techs in a top-secret mission to stop it. If you want the doll stopped, you must use the counterpart we engineered, a Rainbow Monkey of pure goodness and light. The _Cuddles of Brightness Rainbow Monkey_... I didn't **personally** name it. Some of the techs were overeager with the naming." _He scratched the side of his ghostly cheek sheepishly.

"Oooooh!" Kuki waved her arms excitedly. "Can I use it?! Can I?! CAN I?!"

_"I don't think you know the extent of what you ask,"_ Numbuh 100 muttered gravely to Kuki._ "To use it, you must give up something precious to you. An act of pure selflessness. It could be your KND memories, your relationship with someone, or your innate goodness. It depends on the person."_

Hoagie patted his pockets down in disappointment. "I guess trading away _Yipper 96_ isn't gonna work then."

"You were there when it was used?" Nigel inquired.

Numbuh 100 answered after a long moment._ "..._I_ was the one who used it."_

"What did _you_ give in return for it?"

_"It's not of importance. Not anymore,"_ was his last words before he dissolved away in a whirl of light. The keychain bounced back onto the wooden floor, it's tone hollow and wistful.

* * *

The elevator was a smoking heap, but there was no one on that one way trip. Cree dangled from the long empty shaft and snorted. "This is getting way too real for me."

Using the grappling feature of her_ WRISTWATCH_, Cree jumped the corner and started sliding down the shaft until she reached Moonbase Gym's level. She pried the doors open and flipped out, weapons out and ready for a fight.

There were a few rolled up mats that instantly caught her eye. One in particular, a bright purple thing with yellow Rainbow Monkey faces on it, had been Abby's favorite when they practiced.

Was it the trick of the light? Cree rubbed her eyes when she saw a strange apparition of herself on the mat, young and very involved in the KND. Abby was showing her the Praying Atlantis formation she had practiced all week, letting her older sister judge her with a critical eye.

"Hmm... not bad Abby!" she beamed, fixing the red cap over her dreadlocks. "But lower your elbows a bit... there we go! Now you can actually kick some tail like a pro!"

Taking a deep breath, Abby centered herself before answering. "I learned from the best!"

"Oh stop," Cree laughed and showed her a new stance. "Okay, here's a really good pose that's great for getting an adult from behind! They're too slow in their old age to dodge it!"

Abby watched her with such reverence, it was almost unreal how much her younger sister idolized her.

The real Cree choked a bit and blinked the memory away. "Weakness..." she chastised to herself, wiping something wet from the corner of her eye.

The gym was empty except for two projection screens. One was a video feed of Chad running down the corridors for some reason and the other was Maurice getting attacked from behind by Angelie. There was no available audio, but she didn't need to hear the confirmation of his shout or the way he crumpled a bit on the floor before he spun away from the girl's next attack.

"We're too late," Cree pressed her fingers to her mouth in distress. "Angelie's already possessed, Maurice." It happened five years ago too, with Numbuhs 8a and 8b. They couldn't be exorcised and had to be sent away permanently for it.

She had never forgiven herself for that. She never forgave the KND for failing that.

And when the real Abby approached, her once dark eyes now a flickering amber, Cree let out a sob of despair and dropped her weapon with a loud clang. "No... no!" She ran over and grabbed her younger sister by the shoulders and started shaking her. "Snap out of it, Abby! You _can't_ be possessed! This is just a stupid joke, right?! RIGHT?! No, no, no... what can I do? What can I... Numbuh 100..."

Abby simply gazed at her. "Finish... we have a tea party. Finish our tea party."

* * *

Chad's sneakers squeaked loudly in the empty cafeteria, uncaring who or what he was drawing attention to. His mind was stuck on a single track. No one humiliated Chad Dickson. No one.

He slammed his shoulder against the swinging doors, causing a loud bang, and entered into the large kitchen area designed to feed thousands of operatives on a daily basis.

It was there he saw Rachel standing on the very grate of the largest vat of soup, her arms bound from behind. She didn't seem to have noticed him.

He sniffed the air. It smelled like cream of..._ broccoli_. He took a step back, recoiling in horror, realizing Sonya's plan all along.

"Numbuh 362!" Chad shouted to get her attention. This was a trap, it was so_ obviously_ a trap, but he wasn't exactly in the right mind to get his thoughts together.

Before he could take a step forward, Sonya reappeared from the shadows near the control console. _**"I... had been afraid this one... would not stir you like the others,"** _she said softly, gesturing to Rachel still motionless. _**"...your heart doesn't have much love for anything... my poor lonely friend. She is... the closest I can do... for you."**_

"You shouldn't have," he spat out sarcastically. "You even gift-wrapped her for me. How_ thoughtful_."

Sonya tilted her head and gripped the doll tighter. The eyes began to glow in warning. _**"So ungrateful... my dear friend. Do you... honestly believe pretending you don't care about her... will bring me to letting her go?"**_

His ruse thrown out the door, Chad's eyes marginally widened before he glared down at her. "What do you want?!"

_**"I simply ask... you join me for tea... forever."**_

Chad snorted and snarled, "No thanks."

She looked extremely saddened. _**"First Numbers 11 and 9... and now you, 274. Are we not friends...?"**_

"I'm not 274 anymore!" he snarled. "I'm a teenager and there's no way I'm going to play with a stupid Rainbow Monkey anymore! Do you hear me?!"

_**"I hear you,"** _Sonya said softly and then pulled the lever down.

He watched in horror as the grate slowly slid away from under Rachel, intending to drop her into the giant vat of broccoli purée. Without thinking, instinct guided him to run up the railings and push her off at the last-minute at the cost of his own self when he plunged in.

So. Much. Broccoli.

The texture was disgusting. He could feel soft pieces of mini trees brush his bare arms and face when he finally managed to break through the surface for air.

That was when he saw Rachel reach for him, her eyes a dark amber, before attempting to drown him in the soup. He coughed and flailed when her fingers gripped his hair and shoved him back down, unable to comprehend that she was attacking him for the sake of trying to breathe.

He could hear her laughing madly, an unnatural laugh that should never belong to her. _Never_. He held his breath and dived deeper into the soup to get away from her hands.

She was already possessed. There was no way to save her. Just like last time.

The vegetable mixture was spiritually burning him, weakening his body, but not his resolve. He had to atone for what has happened to her in the only way he knew how.

_'I'm sorry,'_ he thought in a mixture of despair and anger when he resurfaced and grabbed her outstretched hands. _'I'll make it painless, I swear!'_

He pulled her into the soup and blissfully, her horrible laughter stopped when he dragged her under. His weight forced her down as far as he could while she struggled, unable to scream from the kryptonite properties of the broccoli.

If only Numbuh 100 was around... but he wasn't. There was no one to save them like last time.

She squirmed in his grip for a moment and before he could keep his eyes shut so he wouldn't see her last moments, she looked at him so fearful and confused... it was almost like she was herself again.

Nostalgia crept in the form of her eight year old self chasing him around the Command Deck with paperwork that needed to be signed, brown eyes lit with adoration and respect for her Supreme Leader.

He howled out his frustration and what little air he had to pull her up, possessed or not. Her gasps of air was both relieving and damning.

"I..." he gasped out, his glare deathly at the Rainbow Monkey glowing in Sonya's arms. "I hate you... I HATE YOU!"

Despite her possessed state, Rachel seemed more inclined to cling to him than try to drown him again if her soft coughs and shuddering gasps were any indication. The amber in her eyes seemed to be flickering, the malevolent hold on her still there but weak.

Near death probably could do that to you.

_**"You couldn't do it..."**_ Sonya simply said, surprised for the first time. _**"...I had expected..."**_

Everyone expected this type of thing from him. He said nothing and swam to the edge of the vat, nudging Rachel into the edge for leverage, but she wouldn't tear herself away from him.

Sonya retreated again, her parting words urging him to join the tea party.

"What can I do, Numbuh 362?" he asked her weakly when he pulled the both of them out of the vat with what was left of his strength. His back banged hard against the floor when they slid down which brought him to hiss in pain. She didn't seem interested in killing him anymore, which surprised him, but only for a moment.

It could be another trap.

_"Finish what you started..."_ Rachel's voice tapered off into his soaking shirt. _"The tea party..."_

He stood up, having no choice but to carry her bridal style because her arms had curled around his neck tightly like a vice, ready to squeeze the life out of him if he refused.

"It's alright," he told her kindly, for the first time in a long while before he carried her out the doors. "Not gonna let it end this way. You've got an event to oversee tonight, don't you Rachel?"

Running wasn't an option anymore. The Kids Next Door needed their Supreme Leader and he'd be damned before he ever failed them now.

* * *

He couldn't hold out longer. Every dodge of Angelie's bat just served to drain his energy each time until he could only afford her hitting him in non-vital areas.

Battered and bruised, Maurice slipped off the railing trying to dodge a side-swing and ended up falling onto a console on the deck below. With a painful groan, he slid off and barely missed a shoe to the head.

Chad would have told him to fight and get rid of her; that there was no way to save her. But she was still his _sister_. He refused to harm her no matter what she's become now.

Maurice instead raised his hands up in surrender, knowing he could never raise a hand to his sister, even if she was possessed. "Alright. I'll go, Angelie. To the tea party."

Instead of trying to hit him again, the butt of her bat pressed against his bruised back and he hid a wince. Angelie seemed grateful by his resignation. _"That's right. You have... a tea party to finish, big brother."_

"I'm not doing it to please that stupid monkey!" Maurice snarled. "I'm doing it for my sister, Angelie! That's_ you_! That abomination better remember that!"

Angelie faltered for a moment, amber eyes widening, but was compelled to march him off.

* * *

"I'll finish this, Abigail," Cree swore and hugged her unresponsive sister hard. There was no way she was going to let her sister suffer from her failures. "Just hang on a little longer."

She grabbed Abby's hand and led her instead. Each made their own way to their destination, to the black and orange streamers and the food that piled up around the tea-table.

Sonya sat alone at the head of the table, the _Sweetheart of Darkness_ placed primly upon her lap. Happiness overwhelmed as she watched each and every one of them head toward the party room. _**"Oh... I do love parties... with precious friends."**_

On the table, Sonya's communicator started to ring. Staring at it for a long moment, she pressed a button. The voice on the other end made her inhale with surprise.

"Numbuh 83... or should we say, _Sweetheart of Darkness_," Virginia's voice filtered through the static. "I have your fourth invitee in my ship. Open up the barrier and let me through!"

Hiding behind the cockpit, Sector V watched through the ship's windows when Moonbase surprisingly opened up part of its barrier for them.

"Who's the _fourth_ invitee?" Nigel inquired once the transmission ended. "I thought it was only three."

"Count them, Numbuh 1," Virginia said, trembling a bit while Hoagie navigated them to the docks. "Sonya technically counts as four."

Wally started counting on his fingers. "Oi, that's been buggin' me! If there are four of you, minus the Rainbow Monkey, divided by 14, err... carry the one... where is the 2.8 fifths of the person five years ago?!"

Nigel palmed his face.

"What Wally means issssss..." Kuki trilled. "If the Rainbow Monkey needs to be held by _someone_ to work ...who held it_ five years ago_?"

**transmission interrupted**


	6. Chapter 6

**connection re-established**

"It's quiet in here," Wally said suspiciously while jumping off the shuttle. He armed himself and followed the rest of Sector V in securing the perimeter. "Too quiet."

Kuki giggled loudly, causing them to wince when the normally busy place echoed. "Everyone's out trick-or-treating, Numbuh 4!"

"Everyone except the Kids Next Door!" Hoagie checked his watch. "We've only got a half hour until the good houses are open for business!"

With a nod, Nigel gestured them into huddle. "Alright team! Split up! Numbuh 3 and 4, you follow Numbuh 23 to the Archives to retrieve the _Cuddles of Brightness Rainbow Monkey_! Numbuh 2, I'll drop you off to the main computer on the way to the Leda Deck. See if you can get in contact with Numbuh 86's ship and maintain orbit. As soon as we rescue Numbuh 362, we need to get the annual mission underway immediately!"

Hoagie saluted. "On it!"

"Yay! I get to see Cuddles!" Kuki bounced around with excitement. Wally pretended to gag while she wasn't looking and then followed the girls out.

Virginia glanced over her shoulder at Nigel. "And where are _you_ going, Numbuh 1?"

Nigel smiled dangerously. "Well, as my mom always said, it's not_ polite_ to be late to a tea party. Wouldn't want to disappoint the host of the evening!"

* * *

Chad was the last to walk in. Carrying a child plus the effect of broccoli in his system had made his journey to the tea party ridiculously slow and, but the time he arrived, he was more ready to keel over into a broccoli coma than fight a demonic Rainbow Monkey.

Cree and Maurice were already sitting, practically in the same seats from five years ago, and it was almost as if they were prolonging the inevitable when it was stopped back then.

Time started moving forward for them once more.

Cree gazed questioningly at the unresponsive girl in Chad's arms and that they smelled like purée vegetables. "Do I have to ask?"

A withering glare was her response before he deposited Rachel onto a chair and sat down.

Once he realized all the missing girls were successfully possessed, Maurice leaned back against his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling like a failure for the state their Supreme Leader ended up in. The only way they knew to combat the possession was decommissioning. If they couldn't snap her out of it the KND was going to have a lot more trouble than missing a trick-or-treat mission.

Cree began to tremble in her seat when the temperature in the room started to dip. Everything looked the same, not a single thing out-of-place. She felt like she was eleven years old again, unable to do anything out of sense of duty; forced to eat this... this...

Sonya smiled pleasantly at them and they averted their gazes. _**"It's so nice to be having tea... with friends... on Halloween, don't you think? Please enjoy your green tea... natural... no sugar or cream..."**_

Maurice knew better than to drink what an enemy offers. He grabbed Angelie's hand to stop her from taking a sip, but those amber eyes flashed and he was forced to watch her drink and then grimace before setting it down.

Even possessed children weren't immune to disgusting health food. Rachel's hand started to shake holding her teacup, a subtle refusal to drink that brought hope that they were still in there somewhere. Chad scowled and did her a favor by knocking the cup out of her hands.

Rachel punched him before the teacup shattered onto the floor.

_**"It's... not very nice... smacking things from a young lady's hands..."**_ Sonya said dangerously, the flickering amber of her eyes mirroring Rachel's. _**"You should... apologize."**_

"Why should I?" he snapped, cradling his jaw. "She doesn't want it! You're _making_ her, you freak!"

He was right. It was obvious what she was trying to do. Cree could only watch helplessly while Abby was forced to do whatever the Rainbow Monkey bid her. That was the revenge all along, to watch their younger protegés eat and drink the nasty food before them.

Abby didn't punch her like Rachel did when Cree grabbed the cup and drank it herself. She coughed and held her stomach. "Ugh! That's... that's... so gross...!"

_**"On the menu tonight..."** _Sonya began happily. _**"Spinach pot pie... three-bean salad... zucchini bread..."**_

Maurice started to feel ill while she continued. **_"Non-sweetened pumpkin pie... wheat grass smoothies..."_**

He couldn't. Chad literally couldn't. He rubbed his sore jaw and counted to ten, praying he could survive through this and all the disgusting health food on the table. This was hell. Literal hell. A Halloween party without any kind of sweets.

When she mentioned tofu dogs, Maurice could only look Sonya dead in the eye and mutter brokenly, "You _monster_."

* * *

When they found the right locker, they expected an ethereal sheen from the _Cuddles of Brightness Rainbow Monkey_, something out of this world and awe-inspiring.

"Is this it?" Wally asked incredulously at the grey and ratty doll sitting pathetically at the bottom of the locker. "This is the _great_ Rainbow Monkey Numbuh 100 kept goin' on about?! Looks like crud!"

Kuki growled dangerously, making Wally successfully cower from her wrath before she picked up the Rainbow Monkey and cuddled it. "I don't care what you look like, Cuddles! You're perfect just the way you are! Yes you are! Oh, yes you are!"

Virginia lowered her flashlight. "Got a read on it, Numbuh 3?"

"Hmm..." Kuki pressed her cheek against the plush's and gave it a big enough hug that it actually squeaked. "It's quiet... like a peaceful sleep," she raised her finger to her lips. "So shhhh..."

"Well then wake it up, Numbuh 3!" Wally rolled his eyes. "We've got a job ta do!"

Pouting, Kuki handed the doll to Virginia. "You can't wake it up, silly! Not until you power it up!"

It was amazing how intuitive Kuki was with Rainbow Monkeys. Virginia held the doll up to her flashlight, not getting the usual spiritual readings like she usually should. Her brother from the past did mention giving up something in return. "So... how do we activate it?"

"Why don't you ask Numbuh 100?" Wally drawled. "You'd think he would have told us before he went all Jedi ghost on us!"

Biting her bottom lip, Virginia took one long look at the Rainbow Monkey. It wasn't as impressive as she thought. In fact, it was underwhelming. It didn't even have a rainbow antenna on its head. It was just a plain base Rainbow Monkey.

_'What am I supposed to do with this, Steve?'_ she thought desperately and hugged the plush to her. Her eyes shot open as images started playing in her head.

_She was sitting at the head of the tea-table, the plush on her lap. On both sides of her were the younger versions of Chad, Maurice, and Cree, all of which were extremely apprehensive about being tied to chairs and subjected to the healthy snack foods on the table on this night of all nights._

_Then another flashback. The alarm bells rang when she took the Rainbow Monkey and slipped past security. No one would incriminate her. Not when she was..._

_When she tripped, Chad had picked her back up and dusted her off. He was going to be late interviewing an up and coming operative for the Supreme Spy Commander position. He had been excited at the idea of mentoring this operative, his future protegé to the throne of command. Someone to watch over and care for._

_He's worried about her. That was what Cree had told her in the elevator on her way to the Leda deck. She hasn't been home in days. Cree placed her hands on her shoulders and knelt so they were eye-to-eye like equals. Cree knows what it's like worrying about a younger sibling. She would be awfully upset if anything happened to Abby..._

_He sent Maurice to follow her around and, when she caught him, he simply smiled and told her his orders were out of love. Love? Maurice understands like Cree. Siblings are precious. They should always be protected. Maurice had always been loyal; an inspiration to all. It would be nice having friends like that._

_'Who's memories are these?'_ Virginia wondered. _'Sweetheart's?"_ Or did it belong to the girl who carried the demonic doll the first time around? Was she witnessing the most important memories of when it decided these particular three operative were important enough to capture?

_There was one more person. He was the unattainable, the untouchable. She wanted to walk by his side, but he was always protected. He didn't need her around. If only she could do something to reach out and get his attention..._

_"Can't you pay attention to me just once?! How can you make excuses when Maurice or Cree... even Chad!"_

Virginia jumped in alarm, blinking her way back to reality. Wally and Kuki had cowered next to each other for some odd reason. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You were... glowing!" Wally accused, standing in front of Kuki despite his fear. "Then you started saying nonsense!"

"Right," she said, dazed. "Let's go and find Numbuh 1. He was crazy to try and take the doll on his own!"

"That's Numbuh 1 for you!" Kuki said cheerfully and followed them out of the dark Archives.

* * *

Maurice was trying his hardest to stop Angelie from biting into the zucchini bread, but her grip was relentless. Her eyes began to flicker between amber and her normal brown, an internal fight going on to stop herself from eating the healthy treat.

In the end, he took one for the team and ate her piece instead before turning to the side and convulsing. Cree's bottom lip began to quiver watching him and she snapped her head at Sonya. "No more! We can't eat anymore!"

_**"It would be impolite to not... eat what your host has given you..."** _Sonya warned pleasantly. _**"Don't you think so, Number 5?"**_

Abby's fingers were shaking, spiritually burned by the atrociousness of the 'artificial' sugar packet. It was an insult to kid-manity and anathema to a genuine candy hunter like her. Cree took the packet from her and reluctantly poured it into her tea.

"This is inhumane," Chad snapped, humiliated by what they amounted to: being forced into being a plush's playdate like they were when they were kids. "I wouldn't wish my _worst enemies_ healthy junk for Halloween!"

Her eyes glowing with warning, Sonya turned to Rachel and punished him. _**"Number 362... I would love if you... tried my broccoli casserole..."**_

The fork in Rachel's fingers slipped and clattered onto her half-eaten plate. She broke into a cold sweat, unable to deny the order when she started to shakily reach for the casserole dish.

"Leave her alone!" Chad demanded while Cree winced and physically looked away. Despite the churning in his gut from the last dose of broccoli, he grabbed the dish from her and dumped most of it on his plate.

Not wanting Chad's practical death on his hands, Maurice took his spoon and grabbed a share of it too before nudging Cree to do the same. If they got the most poisonous vegetable out of the way, Sonya couldn't force the young ones to eat it.

_**"I'm so glad... you all love my casserole..."**_ Sonya beamed. _**"It warms... this girl's heart... to see her friends eating... so healthy..."**_

After two large spoonfuls, Cree's lips twisted alongside whatever was in her stomach when she saw that Abby's head was bowed down.

A teardrop fell from beneath her red cap and onto her lap.

"No..." Rachel murmured brokenly, amber eyes downcast when she couldn't watch Chad and the others forcefully eat the casserole anymore. "No more... please... stop..."

Then, like a dam breaking, Angelie let out a dry sob through her possession.

Sonya seemed surprised, the glow in her eyes fading a bit. _**"You feel bad... my young ones... how selfish... for you to not eat for them..."**_

"You don't get it, do you?" Maurice murmured, his voice thick with pain. "If we... have to eat everything for them... we're going to do it."

Cree grit her teeth before taking another bite, dutifully ignoring Abby's tears. Despite their tensions, despite being opposite sides, she was still her older sister.

They all jumped in alarm when the door slammed open. Nigel jumped into position and aimed his_ FLOSSEY_ at them. "Supreme Leader! Sector V has arrived! Nobody move! Especially you, you diabolical Rainbow..." Taking note of the three teens, Nigel started to gape. "W-wha... what are TEENAGERS doing on Moonbase?!"

"We just spontaneously thought having a demonic tea party would be swell," Chad said sarcastically. "What do you think is going on, moron?!"

"Quiet, traitor!" Nigel snapped and surveyed the scene. Alongside Chad, Maurice and Cree looked ready to hurl. It finally dawned on him. "You... were you the ones the _Sweetheart of Darkness_ captured five years ago?!"

Chad sneered. "Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! What did the brat win, Johnny?"

Sonya's eyes began to glow dangerously, forcing Abby to jump out of her seat and tackle Nigel, who yelped incredulously. "Numbuh 5?! Snap out of it!"

Cree tried to get out of her seat and was paid for it by her legs psychically pinned to the chair. She struggled in her seat and nearly fell backwards if Maurice didn't catch it in time.

"I won't have my tea party ruined!" Sonya screamed, standing up and clutching the doll hard. "Not like last time!"

"ENOUGH!" Virginia yelled, arriving with the rest of Sector V in tow. She showed Sonya her plain Rainbow Monkey. "It's time for history to repeat itself, _Sweetheart of Darkness!_ I'm gonna seal you away back into the darkness!"

Recognizing her, Sonya's ugly sneer fell away, replaced with one of genuine affection. _**"Virginia! You've come back for me! My bestest friend!"**_

Interestingly, the teens looked extremely uncomfortable with Virginia's presence. Even Chad turned his head away. Virginia slowly lowered the grey plush, eyes widening. "Wha-what are you talking about?"

"Nothing!" Maurice yelled. "Just run, Numbuh 23!"

Sonya raised her Rainbow Monkey up as if in offering to her, smiling in gratitude. _**"It's been... so long! I'm here now, Virginia! You won't have to be alone!"**_

"What in Yipper's going on?!" Nigel demanded and kicked Abby from him. "Seal it away, Numbuh 23! While we have the chance!"

Cree snapped. "NO! You can't seal it! Not with them still possessed!"

Hoagie grabbed at his goggles. "Then what do we do?! We've only got ten minutes left before the mobilization, guys!"

"Forget the stupid mission!" Chad snarled and it went on like that for a minute or so, both teen and kid arguing while Virginia could only stare at the demonic Rainbow Monkey.

"I..." she stuttered, the memories coming back. "I was..."

* * *

_Virginia waved at her new sector once graduation rolled around and then looked for her brother, the great Numbuh 100, who replaced the last disastrous Supreme Leader and made KND the best again._

_He was supposed to usually oversee graduations, but was unable to, because Father was making ground with his new delightfulization project. Steve had to mobilize their new fleets and instead he sent her a text of congratulations instead._

_She offered to take a picture of Abby and Cree by the end of the ceremony, who gave up a high-profiled mission to show up and watch her little sister graduate._

_When she received her first awards for exceptional service and offered to become sector leader of North America's supernatural branch, her brother simply pinned the medal to her chest before moving to the next operative. She couldn't get a glance in edgewise because of the bodyguards surrounding him. Security needed to be beefed up when there had been rumors that Mr. Boss was preparing to launch an attack on Moonbase._

_The congratulatory dinner between them had been postponed. Her brother's second-in-command, rising operative Chad, met her halfway on the deck to give the bad news with that apologetic smile of diplomacy. She saw him later treat her brother's new third-in-command with a meatball sandwich dinner. Rachel had never beamed like that the longest she knew her and ruefully watched them leave for the cafeteria._

_When the teens used the chicken pox strain on a good number of operatives, Virginia had been bedridden on Moonbase, volunteering for tests instead of staying home to better serve the KND scientists searching for a cure. She turned in her cot when Maurice came by every hour to check on Angelie, swearing that he was working on the cure so it wouldn't happen again. He would bring her ice cream and her favorite Rainbow Monkey to cheer her up in between shifts._

_Maurice one day told her that he saw her brother visited once or twice during her hospitalization, but she was probably asleep and didn't get to see him. She bitterly wished he had woken her up at least once if he actually did._

_**"If you need a friend, you can always be with me!"**_ _It called to her from beyond the glass. **"Maybe we can get your brother to notice you!"**_

"You think so?" _she wondered softly._ "He's always so busy..." _The spirits beyond human comprehension had never stirred her wrong before. Why would this one do it now? She drank in the spirit's words inside the Rainbow Monkey, the only one who patiently listened to her woes._

_Those amber eyes started to glimmer for her. **"We just need his attention... maybe a little tea party? We can invite those who are close to him...?"**_

_Chad had paused in the hallway, somewhat concerned for her._ "That's an odd-looking Rainbow Monkey," _he frowned suspiciously._ "That looks like it's from the Museum..."

"I'm hosting a tea party," _Virginia simply said, her eyes flashing at him with a dark smile._ "If you don't come, I'll have to do something drastic. Would you let your Supreme Leader's kid sister come to harm under your watch?"

_He took a step back, confused by her newfound attitude._

**No way... I couldn't have!**

_She went after Cree next, flexing her influence on Numbuh 8a and 8b to get her to comply, then Maurice by using Cree as leverage._

* * *

"If I couldn't have my real brother to spend time with," she cried out and reached for the_ Sweetheart of Darkness,_ "I'll just take someone else's!"

"Virginia!" Chad said sharply. "Don't fall into that trap again! You want your brother's sacrifice to be for nothing?!"

She paused just short of taking it, her eyes widening. "What...?"

Cree leaned forward as far as she could in her seat. "We didn't follow you because of your threats!" ("Well, I did..." Chad muttered bitterly.) "Your brother ordered us to go when we told him what you did to Numbuh 8a and 8b! He threw us to the wolves den instead of just ordering your decommissioning!"

Maurice dipped his head down in resignation. "Your brother was a busy guy and he always missed spending time with you, but he was the Supreme Leader and he couldn't shirk his duties. Not for _anyone_. But when he found out what happened to you, he risked and lost everything he worked for to save you!"

_"Cuddles of Brightness!" Steve shouted, raising the grey Rainbow Monkey doll above his head. "Save my sister and seal the darkness away! In return, I give you my loyalty to the KND!"_

_"Numbuh 100!" They had shouted when a bright light started to envelop them entirely._

"It wasn't enough to save 8a or 8b, but it was enough to save at least one operative," Maurice continued soberly. "Your brother was never the same again, but he lasted long enough for his honorable decommissioning and then walked the path of evil as payment for his sacrifice."

"Tch!" Cree shook her head in anger, still relieving what had happened to her teammates and the aftermath that followed. "And what a happy ending we had, didn't we Maurice?! I've never trusted the KND afterwards and I never will again!"

Chad sneered. He didn't believe one bit about Cree's defection being noble, but he was probably biased about the issue.

_**"Haven't I offered you everything you wanted?"** _Sonya begged, urging Virginia to take the plush._** "Your brother finally noticed you!"**_

Virginia's outstretched hands began to shake when she dropped them. They turned into fists and tears started to drip down her cheeks. "My brother became an evil teen... because of _me_...!" she began to shed real tears. "Because of _YOU!_"

"Numbuh 23!" Nigel shouted in protest and tried to reach for her, but it was too late. Virginia snatched the monkey from Sonya's hands, causing the young blond girl collapse. Maurice kicked an open chair in her direction so she landed safely onto the plush seat.

An impressive wind was starting to brew around Virginia, disturbing the china and lifting the fabrics into a frenzy. Chad grabbed Rachel by her orange sweater and forced her off her seat to avoid flying utensils. Maurice and Cree wasted no time dragging Angelie under the table.

Desperate, Kuki began to shake at Abby's unresponsive shoulders. "I'm sorry, Numbuh 5!" she said tearfully, hugging her head. "I should've went with you! Please don't be creepy anymore!"

Nigel ordered all of them down onto the floor while the wind became a tornado. Virginia started to hover a bit off the ground, both Rainbow Monkeys glowing in pure light or pure darkness as they waged war inside her.

_**"I am your new best friend, Sweetheart of Darkness!"**_ Virginia said, her voice amplified supernaturally._ "And I call upon the Cuddles of Brightness! I offer you my greatest treasure, my ability to commune and travel to other worlds, in exchange for my wish! Save those who were tainted by Sweetheart and purify the doll of the Wigglestein corruption once and for all!"_

"Yer gonna give that stoopid doll a happy ending?!" Wally yelled through the blinding wind. "Who's side are you on anyways?!"

Just as they were sure the wind was going to tear them apart, a blinding light slowly engulfed them.

* * *

Chad was the first to wake up, letting out a sharp groan from his queasy head and stomach. He pulled away from the corner of the room where he pinned Rachel, shielding her from most of the debris. He patted her a little roughly on the cheek to get her to stir. "Don't be still possessed," he murmured to himself, praying to whatever deity that she won't end up like 8a and 8b.

She eventually began to whine from the pats and tried to smack his hand away. "Five more minutes mom..." This time he shook her, forcing her to open her eyes that were no longer a haunting amber, but a normal brown.

Rachel blinked up at him in disbelief, then surveyed the room as people began to stir. "W-wha...?" She gagged when she realized she was caked in cream of broccoli. "No... it wasn't a dream, was it?!"

"'fraid not, princess," he grinned coolly, fighting down the flip-flops in his stomach at her recovery. She was fine. Everyone was fine.

"What about..." she checked her watch and then shoved him off. "The annual trick-or-treat mission! We're ten minutes behind schedule!" Getting to her feet, she placed two fingers into her mouth and whistled sharply. "Everyone up!" she demanded, now in Supreme Leader mode. "I want all my operatives front and center ASA-NOW! Computer! Status report on my fleets!"

_MOONBASE IS CURRENTLY UNDER LOCKDOWN. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TURN IT OFF, SUPREME LEADER?_

"Yes!"

_CONFIRMED. LOCKDOWN ENDING IN 5... 4... 3... 2... 1. STATUS UPDATE: MOONBASE IS NOW UNLOCKED. YOU HAVE 2,472 MESSAGES IN YOUR INBOX. HAVE A PLEASANT DAY._

"Two-thousand..." Rachel gaped and slapped her forehead. "I _hate_ this holiday!"

Maurice looked up from the giant bear-hug Angelie was giving him and grinned at Chad. "I swear, it's like I'm looking at a mini female you all over again."

"Keep talking," Chad warned, but didn't hide his amused grin when he started brushing the dried soup off of him.

Abby groaned and rubbed at her head, patting around for her missing hat that blew away during the tornado. "Ugh... Numbuh 5 may not want to trick-or-treat this year. Maybe not ever again!" She yelped when Kuki tackled her and then the rest of Sector V followed.

"You're alright!" Hoagie said happily, uncaring if they all squished Abby to an early grave.

"Yeah well, it'll take more than some hocus pocus to beat Numbuh 5," she wheezed out until they got off of her one-by-one. She turned and gaped in surprise when Cree handed her the red cap.

Cree frowned. "What? Take the stupid hat."

Smiling proudly, Abby took it and put it on. "Thanks Cree. For everything."

Kuki was already checking on Sonya, who woke up confused and wondering why she ended up on Moonbase. While everyone got themselves together, Chad approached Virginia, who was peacefully snoozing on the floor. The two Rainbow Monkeys were gone except for one. It was a silvery color with a peaceful expression on its face. Virginia squeezed it tighter in her slumber.

"Maurice," he said after a long moment of watching her, "give me my phone."

"You're not gonna start taking away memories, are you?" he teased before fishing Chad's phone from his pocket and tossing it in his direction.

"Well yeah, that too," Chad shared a look with his Supreme Leader, who nodded and allowed him to seal the events of this night away so they could return to their double agent status.

Cree remembered the night, but not of Chad and Maurice's questionable loyalty to the KND. Sector V save Abby had their memories wiped of Maurice's knowledge of the KND, believing him still decommissioned. Sonya had been sent to the Medical Ward while Rachel was reunited with Global Command's fleet to initiate the _Omega Ultra Super Trick-or-Treat Mission _without a hitch.

And Matthew? He just had to make due with using another Halloween artifact next year.

* * *

Chad had called Steve to warn him that they had his meddlesome sister after a long night of trick-or-treating, uncaring if his 'superior' whined and moaned at the idea of leaving his party for the sake of taking her back.

Steve blinked at the tired look Chad was giving him before the younger teen gave him an arm full of Ginny.

"Put your sister to bed," Maurice grinned from behind Chad, but even _Cavallero_ could easily see how faked and forced the smile was. "We'll hold down the fort and party while you do!"

Cree smiled devilishly, though instead of Maurice her emotions seemed legit. "Now THAT sounds like a plan!"

They wasted no time barging in, leaving their teen leader to grumble and carry his little sister upstairs past the loud music and cheering guests for the relatively quiet second floor.

He kicked her door open and nearly tossed her into her bed if not for the fact that Virginia started to whimper and curl further into his shirt, unconsciously seeking his presence. "Hmm..." Steve examined the Rainbow Monkey suspiciously. He had never seen that particular version from her small collection, but he had an inkling he had seen it before. Wrapped around its palm was his lucky keychain, but he had no clue about its significance. She simply returned it as promised.

When it was obvious she wanted to cling to him, he sat on her bed and just held her for a little longer, feeling like this was something long overdue for the both of them.

**end transmission**


	7. Chapter 7 - Bonus

**supplemental transmission**

It was the day after Halloween and not a kid was stirring, not even a teen. Adults allowed themselves a breath of peace as their children were either too tired or too sick eating candy from a long night of trick-or-treating. If they had teenagers, they were monitoring the sugar crash they had after a night of partying and they wouldn't successfully stir until early afternoon.

Not every parent was lucky, but the Lincolns were a more pragmatic group of humans, ones that promoted good morning health even after a long night of fun.

"Now ze lotus pose like zis, ma chérie!" Mrs. Lincoln chirped happily and situated the place on her yoga mat. "Let eet stretch out those weary muscles!"

Abby and Cree took their breaths and followed their mother, already dressed and relaxed in their yoga gear to find their center of self. Their mother was especially happily this morning. It wasn't very often that her daughters practiced yoga together with her at the same time anymore.

Something had shifted between them, though she didn't know why. They seemed even closer together and that made her happy.

Mr. Lincoln walked past the living room, the daily newspaper under his arm and coffee at hand, and stopped to watch them find their 'oneness'. "Isn't that sweet? My favorite girls all doing the stretches and the Buddhism and the quality time! Warms my heart!"

"Honey," their mother said sweetly, "you are going to be late for your shieeft. Eef you stay any longer, you will deesturb our water element."

"Ooh, ooh! My mistake!" Abby and Cree snickered when their father practically sprinted out the room, ever accommodating his lovely wife.

After five minutes of calm stretches, Abby noticed Cree's stance. "Don't you think you should bend a bit more, Cree?" she asked sweetly, starting their famous passive-aggressiveness.

"Maybe you should worry more about the placement of your two left feet, Abigail," Cree purred back, then idly rubbed her stomach. Stupid zucchini bread. Stupid Abigail.

She could hear Abby snicker and it made her blood boil a bit. "Don't think this changes anything," she said under her breath. "I'm still going to destroy the Kids Next Door one day, Abby."

"And Numbuh 5'll be here to stop ya every time, Cree," Abby smirked. "Count on it."

Oh she did. Every step of the way.

* * *

Chad didn't stay long at Steve's party. After three or four ginger ales trying to fix his broccoli-filled stomach (which didn't work since he later puked all over Jennifer Stacy's expensive pumps), Maurice had him carted off to their teen operative bunker for detox and rest.

He spent the rest of his Halloween night bedridden and watching reruns of Doctor Time-Space. Worst Halloween ever.

When he came to the next morning, mouth dry and feeling like someone sucked out all of his insides through a straw, he found his Supreme Leader by his side, sitting and enjoying herself with the Doctor Time-Space marathon.

Rachel raised two fingers for his silence when he opened his mouth, her eyes still glued to the television on the wall. "One second. This is the best part!"

"Nerd," he scoffed, voice hoarse. It was enough for her to turn and offer him some Gatorade. He drank it up like a man who stumbled onto an oasis.

She wrinkled her nose as the Gatorade started to leak down his face. "You'd think teenagers would be a little less gross in their old age."

"Just because I'm a teen doesn't mean I'm not a _boy_," Chad grinned and wiped the excess off his face with his wrist, making his Supreme Leader stick her tongue out in disgust. "You here for a thorough report on last night?" Why else would she be here if not for that?

To his surprise, she started shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "When I was, you know..."

"Possessed?"

"Ugh, don't make me accept that spirits and all that supernatural gunk was involved," she waved the word away. "When I was 'controlled', I saw everything. You know what it's like being here but your body was working on autopilot?"

The idea made him wince, the control-freak that he was. "Wouldn't know. Don't jinx it, sir."

She shook her head. "At the very least... you did... you went beyond the call of duty for your Supreme Leader, Numbuh 274. You're even in this hospital bed because of me." Rachel smiled apologetically at him. "Thank you. I mean it."

Not expecting such sincerity, he cleared his throat and looked away. "I didn't do it for my Supreme Leader." He snorted at the look of disbelief on her face. "Okay, maybe I did. We have history, Rachel."

"We do," she beamed. "Now, I know how you teenage boys hate mushy stuff, so I'll get to the meat of the issue."

"I can sure use some meat," Chad muttered wistfully, remembering the tofu dogs. He didn't expect her to heave a giant sack from under her chair and dump it onto his lap. "What the heck?!" he yelped.

She ordered him to look inside. It was a treasure load of sweets from all over the world, from American lollipops to Japanese rice candy. He never thought he'd see such rare treats after his 'defection'. "Hush candy?" he teased.

"A token of my gratitude," she said with a secret smile. "It's a Supreme Leader's job to share their sweets with everyone. Don't you agree?"

* * *

There was a knock on their door. Leaving Angelie to her pancakes, her dad moved away from the stove to answer the door. "Maurice?!" he gaped, opening the screen door fully for his estranged son.

"Dad," Maurice nodded once with a neutral smile, "is Angelie around?"

Hearing her half-brother's voice, Angelie excitedly jumped off her chair and nearly tackled him when she hugged him. "Maurice! You're here! Wait..." she pulled away just a bit, incredulous. "In Louisiana?!" He couldn't have traveled like she could as a KND agent anymore.

"Did you come with your mother?" their dad asked, looking past his shoulder for anyone else on the parking lot. Maurice shook his head and weaved his lie so easily even Angelie believed him.

"Like I told Angel yesterday, I could fly her over or vice versa if I wanted to," he rubbed the top of her dreads. "I thought I'd spend time with her today, maybe fix a few things in her treehouse since she's been complaining about it. What do you think?"

Treehouse? She narrowed her eyes at him. "Uh... sure." Her sector wouldn't like the idea of a teenager in their treehouse, but maybe that wasn't his endgame.

They actually ended up just walking around Sector X's treehouse with Maurice admiring the odds and ends of it. "I've never visited your treehouse while I was a KND operative. I wanted to see what my sister led these days."

His words stunned her. "H-how... I don't..."

He winked. "Since Numbuh 5 knows all about me, I figured it wouldn't be fair to leave my own little sister in the dark, and..." with a guilty clearing of his throat, he rubbed the back of his neck. "...maybe I can watch over you more easily. I don't want my past to come back and have you pay for it. Again." Zero only knew the enemies he managed to secure under his belt.

When he proved himself by entering their treehouse without the alarms blaring, he gave her a heart-to-heart chat about specialized teens offered double agent status.

Angelie could only peer up at him, wide-eyed. "So the _Teens Next Door_ is real?"

"Okay, I wanna know the wise guy that came up with the name," Maurice said flatly, not amused. "Because it's nothing like the Kids Next Door. We don't have a proper name, Angel. It's just a very small, very separated cell. Only one or two per year are invited. We don't have a treehouse or a chain of command outside of the KND. Numbuh 362 is the only person of authority we answer to, just like you guys."

Short, sweet, to the point. She appreciated that. "I won't tell a soul," she zipped her lips. "So does that mean I get to tell you about all the cool things I've done so far as leader of Sector X?"

He grinned and offered her his pinky which she took, the ultimate promise of secrecy you can share between two KND operatives. "You don't need to, but I don't mind the extra phone calls every once in a while."

"It's a deal!"

* * *

His father wasn't exactly thrilled to find their house a little more dirtied than he expected from last night's party, so he dragged Steve out of his bed kicking and screaming. He shoved trash bags and a mop at him. "You threw it, you clean it, Steve," his father warned and then slammed the front door shut for work.

"THE Steve!" he corrected angrily to a father who had long since drove their beat up car out of the garage. He tossed the mop away in disgust. "I'll just call my dudes have them clean it!" It was so clever he had to grin when he pulled out his cellphone and started to dial.

Virginia had long since woken up, refreshed and surprisingly sugar-free while she was sure the rest of her comrades were sleeping off last night. The first thing she realized was a strange Rainbow Monkey in her bed and her hearing surprisingly empty of any ethereal voices she traditionally used to wake up to.

It was only after a moment of panic did she remember what had happened last night. She had given up her ESP to stop the _Sweetheart of Darkness_. Now she was just as normal as any other kid (at least relatively). She spent the morning feeling a bit lonely with the silence of not hearing the spirits of long-lost pets and carrying the Rainbow Monkey around.

"What do you think I should name you, you weird new abomination?" she asked the plush, which was unresponsive. "You don't feel evil anymore, but what do I know? I don't have my spirit sense anymore." Virginia wondered if she'll have to leave her treehouse and her teammates behind. What kind of leader was she if she couldn't sense things like the others?

It sure was a pretty Rainbow Monkey. Silvery, like starlight. Feeling silly, but justified, she dragged it downstairs for breakfast. That was when she saw her brother picking up soda cans in the living room. His nose was curled in distaste, probably for doing 'peasant' work.

"Was gonna ask," he said over her shoulder before she could sneak away into the kitchen. He always had an uncanny ability to know she was there without seeing her, "what a strange Rainbow Monkey you got. Did you get it last night, Ginny?"

Virginia paused, stunned before she turned back around in disbelief. "How did you... how do you know that this is a new plush?"

He shrugged and tossed one of the full trash bags aside. "You've got seventeen Rainbow Monkeys, all of them creepy because you're into creepy things. They love gushing about you, but the one you've got didn't say anything last night. I was wondering if it was mute or just too stupid to talk."

"You're weird!" Virginia gaped. "Are you saying you can sense things like me? Or... err... like I used to?"

Scowling, Steve pointed threateningly at her. "I'm just gonna deny it if you tell your stupid KND friends! Why do you think dad's always so grouchy all the time? You know how many stop signs like to yell at him for towing past the cross walk everyday? Family curse, Ginny, family curse!"

"Oh..." With a shrug, she hugged the Rainbow Monkey close. "I don't have the ability to sense things anymore."

"Lucky for you." After a moment of silence watching his little sister look so despondent, he dropped the rest of his bags and fished his leather jacket from the couch. "Put on a sweater, Ginny. I'll take you to breakfast."

Virginia nearly tripped over a few cans, surprised by how nice Steve was acting. "Uh... are you sure?"

"What do you mean am I sure? Don't make me leave without you! Because I will!" That got her going. He watched smugly when she threw herself into the closet to find a jacket and came out in a bright yellow number that made his eyes water.

She zipped herself up and looked at him suspiciously. "This isn't a trap, is it?"

"Do I look like Cree Lincoln?" he scoffed. "I don't go that route. At the end of the day, I'm your brother." Virginia smiled stupidly and followed him out the front door, leaving half a mess behind. What did it matter? He already called his boys over. Let them deal with it. "So, what's the stupid monkey's name?"

Oh, she's long since decided. Sticking her tongue out at him, she skipped down the porch, swinging the Rainbow Monkey around. "_The Steve_."

"HEY!"

**end supplemental transmission **


End file.
